Association between indicators of corporal adiposity and cardiovascular risk factors among Brazilian adolescents

• Published in: Journal of exercise physiology online Vol. 16; no. 6; pp. 69 - 78
• Main Authors: Dantas, Milla Gabriela Belarmino, Morais, Priscilla Alencar de Oliveira, da Silva, Tarcisio Fulgencio Alves, Carvalho, Ferdinando Oliveira, Schwingel, Paulo Adriano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Society of Exercise Physiologists 01-12-2013
• Subjects: Adipose tissues; Body mass index; Cardiovascular diseases; Complications and side effects; Health aspects; Obesity; Physiological aspects; Physiological research; Risk factors; Teenagers; Youth; Brazil
• ISSN: 1097-9751; 1097-9751

Obesity is currently an extremely large health problem. It affects individuals of all ages, especially the pediatric population. The purpose of this study was to compare blood pressure (BP) in a sample of adolescent students with body fat measured by body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%) to verify if an increased waist circumference (WC) is associated with cardiovascular risk. The subjects consisted of 214 females and 86 males between 12 and 17 yrs of age. Height, body mass, waist circumference, and skinfold measurements were used to estimate the percent of adipose tissue. The results showed that females classified with excessive weight and a WC percentile > 90 displayed higher BP compared to females with normal weight and a WC percentile <10. However, among the males the results did not demonstrate a similar association between body fat levels (BMI and WC) and BP. Key Words: Blood Pressure, BMI, Waist Circumference, Skinfolds