Comparison of cholesterol in habitually high and low active school-age children.

Although coronary artery disease is primarily manifested during the adult years, i t has more recently been recognized as a pediatric health issue (3). This has prompted the health care and educational community to offer screening and risk-factor modification programs as a means of intervention. One such intervention has been regular physical activity, since favorable changes in blood Lipids and lipoproteins have been noted in adults following specified periods of training. A review of previous literature supports this notion as cross-sectional data comparing active and less active children have shown physically active children to have more favorable blood lipid profiles (1, 2). To test this hypothesis 31 male school-age children (11.5 i 1.2 yr) were screened. The active children were 7 recreational soccer players and 9 Little League baseball players. A control group of 15 children I d not participate in any sport-related activity. Analysis indicated the mean cholesterol values for soccer and baseball players were 160 and 162 mg/dl, respectively. The cholesterol values for the control group were 168 mg/dl. The difference between means was not significant, perhaps because the sample was too small, but other confounding variables were most likely present. In general, prior work has shown significant differences between active and inactive school children, which suggests regular physical activity is an effective modality in altering blood lipids. Most often endurance activities of a rhythmic nature are associated with these positive changes. In addition, the diet can affect blood lipid levels in both children and adults as can obesity. While dietary analyses were not made here, research should examine other variables related to school-age children's health and risk for coronary heart disease.