Journal of School of Public Health and

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Background and Aim: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in the world. Several factors such as lifestyle can alter incidence of these diseases. Cardiovascular diseases originate from childhood therefore, early prevention must begin from childhood and adolescence in order to be able to modify risk factors. The aim of this study was to identify modifiable (tobacco smoke exposure, physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity, incorrect dietary habits and high blood pressure) and non-modifiable (family history) cardiovascular risk factors in Hamedani adolescents.
Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive- analytic Cross- Sectional study, including 1000 students selected by stratified cluster sampling, from 8 high schools in Hamden, Iran. The subjects’ height, weight and blood pressure were measured and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on life style.
Results: On the whole, 23% of the participants had a family history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia. The data also showed that 10.7% of the participants had a BMI more than 25kg/m², 59% had no physical activity, more than 50% had a high intake of salt, and 67% were exposed to passive tobacco smoke. The average length of time spent daily on watching T.V. or playing video games was 6 hours. Proportions of the subjects consuming saturated oils, high-fat dairy products, ready-to-eat foods, and junk foods (potato chips and puffed cereals) were 50.8%, 33.1%, 48.6%, and 75.4%, respectively. The most common method of cooking was frying (used by 35.9% of the families). Finally, 3.4% of the adolescents were smokers themselves and 25% of them said that their friends smoked, while 67.7% were exposed to cigarette smoke from their smoker-relatives.
Conclusion: Most of the Hamedani adolescents are at risk of cardiovascular diseases risk factors. Primary intervention programs should be designed and implemented aiming at promoting the health and nutritional awareness and, ultimately, practice, of the general population with particular emphasis on adolescents.

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  Background and Aim: In recent years great emphasis has been put on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. This study aimed to assess the lifestyle of high school and pre-university students in Bandar-Abbas, Iran.

  Materials and Methods: Using a multistage sampling method a total of 410 high school and pre-university students in Bandar-Abbas, Iran were selected. To assess the lifestyle of the students the Adolescent Health Promotion Scale was used. This 40-item scale assesses six health-promoting behaviors, including those related to nutrition, social support, personal responsibility, health valuation, physical activity, and stress management.

  Results: The mean age of the students (49.8% males and 50.2% females) was

  16.5 (SD=1.34) years. The data showed the mean score of the total scale to be 64.89 out of 100. The mean scores (out of 100) of the subscales of nutrition, social support, personal responsibility, health valuation, physical activity and stress management were 71.06, 63.00, 63.12, 82.11, 41.49, and 68.58, respectively.

  Conclusions: The findings of this study reveal that the health-promoting behaviors of high school students living in Bandar-Abbas are not, on the whole, desirable. The regular physical activity subscale had the least score, which shows that a sedentary lifestyle is a common, serious problem among thestudents.