The association between multiple cardiovascular risk factors and overweight in Brazilian adolescents: an analysis based on the grade of membership

Abstract

The aim of the current research is to analyze the coexistence of modifiable risk behaviors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 12-to-17-year-old adolescents living in Brazil and their influence on overweight. National, cross-sectional, school-based epidemiological study focused on estimating the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome in 12 to 17 year old adolescents enrolled in public and private schools in Brazilian counties accounting for more than 100 thousand inhabitants. The grade of membership method was used to identify the coexistence of risk factors among adolescents. The analytical sample comprised 71,552 adolescents. According to the two herein generated profiles, adolescents classified under Profile 2 have shown behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and diet rich in Ultra-processed food intake ≥ 80% of the percentage of total caloric value. In addition, adolescents presenting CVD risk profile have shown increased likelihood of being overweight. The study has found coexistence of risk factors for CVD in Brazilian adolescents, with emphasis on tobacco smoking and alcoholic beverage intake. In addition, it heads towards the analysis of the association between CVD risk factors and health outcomes, such as overweight.

Ultra-processed food consumption and children and adolescents’ health

“…Risk factors for the early development of cardiovascular diseases have been observed to be increasingly present in the growth phases, with emphasis on smoking and alcohol consumption as the main variables and with considerations in relation to overweight and obesity. 36 …”

“…Thus, the risk factors manifested in adolescence tend to persist in adulthood and, when combined, increase the severity of the manifestations of cardiovascular diseases. 36 The analysis of data from 101,607 adolescents from the 2015 National School Health Survey (PeNSE) reveals that there is a strong correlation between alcohol consumption and smoking, found together in 8 of the 13 identified clusters. In the same study, only 2.9 % of the adolescents did not have any risk behavior, while 38.0 %, 32.9 %, 9.4 % and 1.8 % accumulated two, three, four and five risk factors, respectively.…”