OBJECTIVE: To analyze and compare the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among school students of different economic conditions. METHODS: A total of 1,021 adolescents were analyzed. Subjects were weighed and had their height, waist circumference and blood pressure measured. Both physical activity and economic condition (low and high) were reported. Results were analyzed through frequencies of variables and the chi-square test. RESULTS: A lower prevalence of physical inactivity (p < 0.001) and higher prevalences of abdominal obesity (p = 0.038) and overweight (p = 0.010) were observed among adolescents of high economic class. No differences regarding high blood pressure were observed among adolescents of low and high economic classes. When cardiovascular risk factors were aggregated, the prevalence of one and two factors was also higher among high economic class adolescents. CONCLUSION: With the exception of physical inactivity and high blood pressure, the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was higher among high economic status adolescents.
Prevalence; Adolescents; Cardiovascular risk factors; Socioeconomic level; Obesity; Elevated blood pressure
