PEDIATRICS Vol. 89 No. 3 March 1992, pp. 502-505
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Arneson, T.
Right arrow Articles by Sinaiko, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Arneson, T.
Right arrow Articles by Sinaiko, A.

Cholesterol Screening by Primary Care Pediatricians: A Study of Attitudes and Practices in the Minneapolis-St Paul Metropolitan Area

Thomas Arneson MD1, Russell Luepker MD1, Phyllis Pirie PhD1, and Alan Sinaiko MD2

1 From the Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis
2 From the Department of Pediatrics, Uiversity of Minnesota Medical School, Mineapolis

A telephone survey of the 197 board-certified pediatricians actively engaged in primary care in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area was conducted to assess their cholesterol screening practices and hypercholesterolemia management. The response rate was 95%. Nearly all the pediatricians (90%) do some cholesterol screening, with the majority (58%) screening only children with a strong family history of coronary heart disease. Though only 33% screen all their patients, 66% advocate universal pediatric screening. Most of the pediatricians indicated they would manage hypercholesterolemia patients themselves, nearly always with dietary means. Despite their strong support for screening, the pediatricians expressed skepticism about the significance of childhood cholesterol level as a predictor of adult cardiovascular disease and doubted their effectiveness in getting patients to adopt a cholesterol-reducing diet. Their definition of elevated total cholesterol level in childhood was consistent with published recommendations, but only 29% could define elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. The pediatricians expressed strong opposition to pediatric cholesterol screening in schools or in any setting other than clinics and hospitals.

Key Words: cholesterol • screening • childhood • survey

Submitted on May 23, 1991
Accepted on June 21, 1991




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 PediatricsHome page
S. Y. S. Kimm, G. H. Payne, M. P. Stylianou, M. A. Waclawiw, and C. Lichtenstein
National Trends in the Management of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Children: Second NHLBI Survey of Primary Care Physicians
Pediatrics, November 1, 1998; 102(5): 50e - 50.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
A. R. Sinaiko and R. J. Prineas
Reduction of Cardiovascular Disease: What Is the Role of the Pediatrician?
Pediatrics, November 1, 1998; 102(5): 61e - 61.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
J. S. Harrell, S. A. Gansky, R. G. McMurray, S. I. Bangdiwala, A. C. Frauman, and C. B. Bradley
School-based Interventions Improve Heart Health in Children With Multiple Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors
Pediatrics, August 1, 1998; 102(2): 371 - 380.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
P. R. Nader, M. Yang, R. V. Luepker, G. S. Parcel, P. Pirie, H. A. Feldman, E. J. Stone, and L. S. Webber
Parent and Physician Response to Children's Cholesterol Values of 200 mg/dL or Greater: The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health Experiment
Pediatrics, May 1, 1997; 99(5): e5 - e5.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]