Health attitudes and knowledge, and coronary risk factors in high-school children, Sydney and Inverell

Abstract

Attitudes to, and knowledge of, health and nutrition, together with presence of major coronary risk factors, were assessed in New south Wales high-school students at the start of an experimental healthy lifestyle programme. Data were obtained for 2596 children (mean age, 12.5 to 15.5 years), of whom 1971 lived in Sydney and 625 in rural Inverell. Girls had higher scores than boys on questions related to nutrition and fitness attitudes. Girls' scores on questions related to health attitudes and knowledge and nutrition attitudes and knowledge increased with age. The earliest precursors of coronary heart disease and chronic lung diseases were present in this group of children, of whom 20% to 30% were smoking cigarettes, 30% were overweight or obese, 8% to 15% of boys and 2% to 7% of girls had high blood pressure, and 9% had hypercholesterolaemia.