Odunaiya N.1,2, Louw Q.3, Grimmer K.3,4
1Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa, Physiotherapy, Cape Town, South Africa, 2University of Ibadan, Physiotherapy, Ibadan, Nigeria, 3Stellenbosch University, Physiotherapy, Cape Town, South Africa, 4University of South Australia, International Center for Allied Health Evidence, Adelaide, Australia
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major health problem across the world. It was estimated in 2004 that by 2030, deaths from CVD will rise from 17.5 million to 23.4 million, an approximately 37% increase from 2004 rates. Physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, tobacco smoking and harmful use of alcohol, overweight and obesity, hypertension and dyslipedemia are modifiable risk factors for CVD. These risk factors start in childhood and adolescence and track into adulthood.
Given the increasing burden of CVD globally, and in particular in developing countries, it seems sensible to focus on preventing development of risk factors in adolescents. Systematic reviews have shown that physiotherapists can effectively counsel patients with respect to lifestyle behavior change and has identified the evidence of exercise in the management and prevention of CVD.
Investigating prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors among adolescents is pivotal to paving way for effective prevention programs that can reduce the future adult burden of CVD.Despite plentiful information on lifestyle risk factors and CVD in developed countries, there is no systematic review of CVD risk factors among adolescents and differences in risk factors in adolescents from different races, and regions of the world.
Given the increasing burden of CVD globally, and in particular in developing countries, it seems sensible to focus on preventing development of risk factors in adolescents. Systematic reviews have shown that physiotherapists can effectively counsel patients with respect to lifestyle behavior change and has identified the evidence of exercise in the management and prevention of CVD.
Investigating prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors among adolescents is pivotal to paving way for effective prevention programs that can reduce the future adult burden of CVD.Despite plentiful information on lifestyle risk factors and CVD in developed countries, there is no systematic review of CVD risk factors among adolescents and differences in risk factors in adolescents from different races, and regions of the world.
Purpose: 1. To systematically identify and critically appraise studies on prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors among adolescents from any country in the world.
2. To describe the prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors among adolescents in different regions of the world in order to identify whether specific risk factor prevention programs should be developed to target specific needs in different regions.
2. To describe the prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors among adolescents in different regions of the world in order to identify whether specific risk factor prevention programs should be developed to target specific needs in different regions.
Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in bibliographic databases available via the Stellenbosch Universitys library in October and November, 2014. Descriptive and cross sectional studies reporting primarily on prevalence of one or more modifiable CVD risk factors among adolescents in any country of the world were included. Data extracted were entered into Microsoft (MS) Excel spreadsheets. The data could not be pooled together for meta- analysis because of the wide variation of data in terms of age grouping, risk definitions and data collections tools and methods. Therefore the result of the review is presented in a narrative form.
Results: Fifteen studies were included in this review. Majority of the studies were from developed countries. The combined age range was 9-20 years. There was high prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors across the countries. European countries showed high prevalence of smoking among adolescents. The prevalence of dyslipedemia ranged from 2.5% in Iran to 48.9% in rural Mexican adolescents. Overweight and obesity prevalence ranged from 0.6% prevalence to 48.7% .There was decreasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among American adolescents.
Conclusion(s): This review found a widely varied prevalence of CVD risk factors among adolescents across countries.
There are no data on CVD risk factors trend among adolescents in many countries. There is need for preventive strategy in different countries with emphasis on CVD risks which are highly prevalent in each country.
Implications: Physiotherapists should rise up to the task of health promotion and CVD/ chronic disease prevention among adolescents in their countries.
Funding acknowledgements: This study was funded by African Population and Health Research Center through Ford Foundation and IDRC
Topic: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) & risk factors
Ethics approval: Stellenbosch University Ethics Comittee
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
