Cardiovascular risk profile: comparison between white and Southeast Asian youth in Wausau SCHOOL Project.

Introduction: The Wausau School Children Have Early Onset Of Leading Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Mellitus (SCHOOL) Project is a community-based effort to assess the cardiovascular (CV) health of students in the Wausau School District (WSD). It has been previously demonstrated that risk factors for CV disease are prevalent and increase with age. Wausau is also a major relocation center for Southeast Asian (SEA) immigrants. Few data are available on the CV health of SEA immigrants. This investigation compares the relative frequency of CV risk factors in SEA and white students in the WSD.

Methods: A random selection of 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th grade students provided demographic data, health history, sex-adjusted body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose levels, blood pressure levels, and nuclear magnetic resonance lipid profiles (Liposcience). This included 519 white and 48 SEA students. To assess for CV disease risk factors, study participants were examined for dyslipidemia, hypertension, impaired fasting glucose levels, above-normal body weight, and history of smoking.

Results: Risk factors for CV disease increased with age for both white and SEA participants. The mean number of risk factors in SEA participants was 1.63 compared to 1.12 for white participants (P=0.016). The mean number of risk factors also increased significantly across grade levels (P=0.001). There was no difference in mean BMI values (P=0.58). No significant differences were found in triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, or glucose values. Dyslipidemia was present in 53% of SEA students and 42% of white students (P=0.14).

Conclusion: CV risk factors are common in school-age children, and the number of risk factors increases with age. SEA students presented a greater prevalence of CV risk factors than white students, but were not significantly more overweight. Interestingly, in a relatively short time period after immigration, first-generation SEA youth have developed a number of CV risk factors equal to or greater than those of their white counterparts.