title: Cardiovascular risk reduction intervention among school-students in Kolkata, West Bengal - the CRRIS study protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasing burden of cardiovascular risk-factors among adolescent school-children is a major concern in India. Dearth of information regarding the burden of these factors and the efficacy of educational intervention in minimizing them among urban school-students of India called for a school-based, educational intervention involving a representative sample of these students and their caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a randomized-controlled design with stratified-random sampling, 1000 students (approximately 50/school) of 9th grade from 20 randomly selected schools (representing all socio-economic classes and school-types) and their caregivers (preferably mothers) will be recruited. Objectives of the study will include: estimation of the baseline burden and post-interventional change in cardiovascular risk-factors, related knowledge, perception and practice among participants in Kolkata.
  
  
  METHODS
  After obtaining appropriate consent (assent for adolescents), collection of the questionnaire-based data (regarding cardiovascular disease/risk-factor related knowledge, perception, practice), anthropometric measurements, stress assessment and cardiological check-up (pulse and blood pressure measurement along with auscultation for any abnormal heart sounds) will be conducted for each participating students twice at an interval of six months. In between 6 educational sessions will be administered in 10 of the 20 schools randomized to the intervention arm. After the follow-up data collection, same sessions will be conducted in the non-interventional schools.
  Descriptive and inferential analyses (using SAS 9.3) will be conducted to determine the distribution of the risk-factors and efficacy of the intervention in minimizing them so that policy-making can be guided appropriately to keep the adolescents healthy in their future life.
authors.affiliation: Professor (Cardiology), Dept. of Medicine, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolkata, India. Electronic address: dr.soumitrakumar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Soumitra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Professor (Cardiology), Dept. of Medicine, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Saumitra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Director, Mission Arogya Health and Information Technology Research Foundation, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Tanmay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mahapatra
authors.affiliation: Registrar (Non Invasive Cardiology), Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Kinnari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Head of the Department (Epidemiology), Mission Arogya Health and Information Technology Research Foundation, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Sanchita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahapatra
authors.affiliation: Consultant Cardiologist, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Mrinal K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Professor (Cardiology), Medical College, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Santanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guha
authors.affiliation: Consultant Cardiologist, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Pradip K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Deb
authors.affiliation: Consultant Cardiologist, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Amal K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Banerjee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescents; Cardiovascular diseases; Educational intervention; Risk factors; School-students
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