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Clinical Trial
. 2004 Sep;94(9):1538-43.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.9.1538.

Improvements in heart health behaviors and reduction in coronary artery disease risk factors in urban teenaged girls through a school-based intervention: the PATH program

Marcia Bayne-Smith  1 , Paul S Fardy, Ann Azzollini, John Magel, Kathryn H Schmitz, Denise Agin
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Improvements in heart health behaviors and reduction in coronary artery disease risk factors in urban teenaged girls through a school-based intervention: the PATH program

Marcia Bayne-Smith et al. Am J Public Health. 2004 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to assess the effects of a school-based intervention program on cardiovascular disease risk factors in urban girls.

Methods: We compared heart health knowledge, health behaviors, cardiovascular risk factors, and physical fitness among a group of 442 multiethnic teenaged girls (310 experimental participants vs 132 control participants). Testing was conducted before and after a 12-week program of vigorous exercises integrated with lectures and discussions on diet, exercise, stress, and smoking.

Results: Significant differences in body fat, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart health knowledge, and whether breakfast was eaten were observed between experimental participants and control participants.

Conclusions: An integrated program of exercise and heart health-related lectures and discussions had a beneficial effect on health knowledge, health behaviors, and onset of risk factors for coronary artery disease among urban girls.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Relative change (%) in significantly improved physical, physiological, knowledge, and behavior measures in Physical Activity and Teenage Health (PATH) vs physical education control (PED) female high-school participants: New York City, 1994–1996. Note. BF = body fat; SBP = systolic blood pressure; DBP = diastolic blood pressure; HHK = heart health knowledge; EBK = percentage eating breakfast.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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