PEDIATRICS Vol. 90 No. 1 July 1992, pp. 75-79
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Television Viewing and Pediatric Hypercholesterolemia

Nathan D. Wong PhD1, Thomas K. Hei 1, Paul Y. Qaqundah MD2, Dennis M. Davidson MD1, Stanley L. Bassin EdD3, and Kurt V. Gold MD4

1 From the Preventive Cardiology Program, University of California, Irvine
2 From the American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove, Village, IL
3 From the Department of Health and Physical Education, California Polytechnic University, Pomona
4 From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA

Cholesterol screening for children is recommended currently only for those with a family history of premature coronary heart disease or hyperlipidemia. The authors report on a pediatric-office-based cholesterol screening program where the predictive values of family history indicators were evaluated along with reported television viewing, physical activity, and dietary habits in 1081 children (aged 2 to 20 years, mean 7.4 ± 3.6 [SD] years). Eight percent of these children had a total cholesterol value of 200 mg/dL or higher; 53% of such children reported watching 2 or more hours of television daily compared with 34% of children with lower cholesterol levels. Multivariate analyses revealed that excessive television viewing was the strongest predictor for a child to have a cholesterol value of 200 mg/dL or higher, with relative risks of 2.2 for 2 to 4 hours of television viewing per day (P < .01) and 4.8 for children watching more than 4 hours/day, when compared to those watching less than 2 hours/day (P < .01). In contrast, a positive family history of a high cholesterol level was only modestly associated with an increased probability of having a high cholesterol level (relative risk 1.6, P < .05), and a history of premature myocardial infarction in a parent or grandparent was not associated with a child's cholesterol level. Excessive television viewing was found to be associated with certain dietary and physical activity habits and may prove to be a useful, global marker for several life-style factors predisposing children to hypercholesterolemia.

Key Words: cholesterol • screening • diet • television • exercise

Submitted on February 19, 1991
Accepted on February 12, 1992




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