Factors affecting tracking of coronary heart disease risk factors in children. The Muscatine Study.

The public health implications of reducing or preventing the excess increase in blood pressure and the acquisition of obesity during childhood years are important. Many children with high blood pressure, particularly those who are initially obese or become obese as young adults and those with excess left ventricular mass for body size, become adults with high blood pressure. Although blood pressure and cholesterol have been shown to track during childhood and from childhood into the adult years, the use of repeated determinations along with measures of obesity and information concerning family history of diabetes and coronary heart disease can significantly add to the prediction of future elevated levels.