A pilot study on cholesterol screening in the school environment.

A newly-developed analyzer measures total cholesterol from a single drop of blood and gives results within minutes. This procedure has made mass cholesterol screening inexpensive and less invasive than methods requiring a venipuncture blood sample, and it offers the opportunity for on-the-spot counseling and referral. In a pilot study, 610 high school students in the Victoria (Tex.) School District were screened for elevated cholesterol. Eighteen percent were found to have cholesterol levels above 180 mg/dl. Mean cholesterol values were higher for females than males, and higher for blacks and Hispanics than whites. Follow-up questionnaires indicated students and their parents understood the basic relationship between cholesterol and cardiovascular disease and how to modify their diet to reduce cholesterol intake. Telephone contact with parents of students with elevated cholesterol showed only about 27% of students with elevated cholesterol had visited a physician subsequent to the cholesterol testing.