title: Cardiovascular risk factors and health behaviours in elementary school-age Inuvialuit and Gwich'in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine cardiovascular risk factors and health behaviours in Aboriginal children from the Beaufort-Delta region (Northwest Territories).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 91 elementary school-age children underwent a cross-sectional assessment of body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure and aerobic fitness. Healthy living knowledge and behaviours, including frequency of self-reported physical activity (PA) and dietary intake, were also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 49.5% of children were obese/overweight and 31.9% had elevated blood pressure. The percentages having one, two or three cardiovascular risk factor(s) were 64.4%, 42.2% and 15.6%, respectively, with no significant difference between boys and girls. Overall, the students obtained higher mean scores in the areas of healthy PA, body image, self-esteem and nutritious beverage knowledge (89%, 85%, 79% and 71% of the maximum scores, respectively). The lowest scores were in nutritious food consumption and healthy PA frequency (46% and 56% of the maximum scores, respectively). On average, children consumed 2.7 L of sugar-sweetened beverages weekly and <2 servings of fruits or vegetables daily. Children spent approximately 2 h per day watching television, playing games or using a computer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an urgent need for community-based approaches to address the high rates of obesity and related cardiovascular risk factors among these Aboriginal children. Given the disconnect between healthy living knowledge and behaviour, it is important that future treatment programs address other barriers faced by Aboriginal populations living in rural and remote regions, including the high cost and limited access to high-quality nutritious foods and beverages, and limited access to indoor recreational programs over the long winter season.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia; ; Child & Family Research Institute; ; British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia;
authors.forename: Constadina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Panagiotopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia;
authors.forename: Duc
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority, Northwest Territories.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith
keywords: Aboriginal; Cardiovascular risk; Diabetes; Obesity; Overweight; Prevention