title: Achieving Cardiovascular Health in Young Adulthood-Which Adolescent Factors Matter?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations of adolescent body mass index (BMI), tobacco use, and physical activity with optimal physiologic cardiovascular health (CVH) in adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were from 12,139 participants in Waves I (1995-1996) and IV (2007-2008) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. We defined optimal CVH as normal blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol without diabetes or cardiovascular disease. We used logistic regression to estimate odds of having optimal CVH at ages 24-32 years (Wave IV) according to BMI category, smoking status, and physical activity at ages 11-19 years (Wave I).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Few young adults (16%) had optimal CVH. Adolescents with normal BMI were more than twice as likely to have optimal young adult CVH compared to those who were obese (adjusted odds ratio, 2.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.97-3.89). Adolescent smoking and physical activity did not predict young adult CVH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower adolescent BMI is associated with young adult CVH.
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: holly.gooding@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Holly C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Gooding
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Carly
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Milliren
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Shay
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Tracy K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Richmond
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Alison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Field
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Gillman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: Cardiovascular health; Obesity; Young adult