OBJECTIVES: to determine family risk factors aggregation for cardiovascular diseases focusing on overweight and obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and arterial hypertension in adolescent groups and their parents. METHODS: cross sectional epidemiological study of 421 adolescents, students of the public school system in the city of Recife and their parents. Sample calculation based in the lower expected prevalence of the variables studied. Assessment protocol consisted of a structured questionnaire, anthropometry and arterial pressure reading. Variables association analysis performed by the chi-square method. RESULTS: 421 adolescents were assessed (173 males and 248 females; age median 16.0 ± 0.7 years old) overweight and obesity in 7.8% adolescents, 18.8% of fathers and 19.8% of mothers. Smoking habits were noted in 7.8% of adolescents, 14.7% of their fathers and 13.0% of their mothers. The presence of these risk factors in fathers and mothers have been associated with a higher frequency of these same factors in their children exception made related to arterial hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: a family correlation between obesity, smoking and sedentary lifestyle were determined, a finding consistent with other previous studies, confirming the significant influence of the family in the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Adolescent; Arteriosclerosis; Obesity; Smoking; Hypertension; Cardiovascular diseases
