A cardiovascular disease risk factor in children with congenital heart disease: unmasking elevated waist circumference - a CHAMPS* study *CHAMPS: Children's Healthy-Heart Activity Monitoring Program in Saskatchewan.

Background: Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) have an elevated risk of future cardiovascular disease but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Abdominal obesity (measured as waist circumference) is a risk factor for adult onset of cardiovascular diseases and is correlated with low physical activity levels, commonly found in children with congenital heart disease. Elevated waist circumference may be a mechanism by which cardiovascular disease risk is elevated in children with CHD.

Physical activity modulates arterial stiffness in children with congenital heart disease: A CHAMPS cohort study.

Unlabelled: Children with congenital heart disease are at risk for developing increased arterial stiffness and this may be modulated by physical activity.

Objective: To compare arterial stiffness in high- and low-physically active children with congenital heart disease and healthy age- and sex-matched controls.

Patients: Seventeen children with congenital heart disease (12 ± 2 years; females = 9), grouped by low- and high-physical activity levels from accelerometry step count values, and 20 matched controls (11 ± 3 years; females = 9) were studied.