Prevention of Adult Cardiovascular Diseases in Emirati Children – A Preliminary Report

Background/Hypothesis: Atherosclerosis starts early in life and remains asymptomatic in children. Its progression is hastened by obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Early recognition and prompt intervention of these adverse events would halt the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in adults.

Aims: (1) Determine the prevalence of obesity and hypertension in Emirati children; and (2) Engage students with increased susceptibility to CVD in risk-reduction and counselling programs.

Methods: Study subjects were children in grade 2 (elementary school), 6 (middle school) and 10 (high school). Parents completed the study questionnaire, which addressed consanguinity and CVD risk factors. Students had height, weight, body-mass-index (BMI), waist circumference and blood pressure (BP) determinations. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTEF) criteria were used for BMI classification.

Results: Five-hundred-thirty-five students were included in this study; their mean [SD] age was 10.7 [11] years (M:F = 1:1). Risk factors identified in their fathers were smoking (21%), hypertension (14%), dyslipidemia (12%), heart attacks (3%), diabetes (16%), and obesity (9%). Risk factors identified in their mothers were hypertension (4%), dyslipidemia (5%), diabetes (6%), and obesity (3%). The prevalence of consanguinity was 38%. For male students, the prevalence of thinness was 31%, overweight 14%, obesity 6%, and extremely-obesity 3%. For female students, the prevalence of thinness was 40%, overweight 9%, obesity 5%, and extremely-obesity 3% (Fig. 1). The z-scores of systolic and diastolic BP increased with increased excess body fat (Fig. 2). Fig. 3 represents the waist circumference percentiles in function of age.