Association between fatness and coronary heart disease risk factors in adolescents

Abstract

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in many countries in the world. The aim of this research was to create awareness among adolescents and the general public about the health effects of obesity and to provide evidence on the relationship between obesity and CHD in Malaysian teens. Based on facts above, this study would be vital to determine the relationship between fatness and CHD in adolescents in Hulu Langat as representatives of Malaysian adolescents. The sample consisted of 25 males and 36 females (n = 61) aged 15-16 years. They were volunteer students randomly chosen from a private and government school in Hulu Langat. Body fat was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and lipid profile (cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose) by the fasting blood test. Weak correlations were obtained between fatness and the CHD risk factors for both genders. Positive correlations were reported for fatness against all the CHD variables except for triglycerides in females. Female adolescents have a higher risk for CHD with fatness than the male adolescents. The study concluded that intervention against obesity appears advisable in the primary prevention of CHD, especially for female adolescents.

Key words: Fatness, obesity, overweight, coronary heart disease, adolescent, Malaysia.