Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Appalachian Kentucky Children

While cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in adults, modifiable risk factors can now be identified and tracked from early childhood. Although declining nationally, the prevalence of CVD remains higher in some regions than in others. In 1986, the death rate from CVD in Kentucky men was 33% higher than the national rate. Appalachian Kentucky children are descendants of an isolated, stable population whose cultural patterns hold a preponderance of cardiovascular risk factors. For cultural, economic and political reasons, diets high in animal fat and triglycerides persist in most families. Kentucky is second in the nation in the use of tobacco products and use of smokeless tobacco by preschool children is volunteered by mothers. In light of this background and epidemiological theory of multifactorial causation of disease with the possibility of synergistic effects of factors, a preliminary prevalence study for CVD risk factors in Appalachian Kentucky children was designed to produce descriptive statistics.