Over-fatness and poor cardiovascular (CV) fitness are well-documented risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults, but less is known about their association with disease risk in adolescents. This study aimed to determine the relationship between anthropometrics, fitness, and CVD risk.

Six anthropometric indicators of body fatness, seven measures of fitness, and seven metabolic and hemodynamic CVD risk factors were measured in a convenience sample of 28 female high school students (15-18 years of age). A tally was made of the number of factors for which each subject was outside the normal reference range (CVD risk).

Correlation analyses were completed to determine the association between CVD risk and other study variables and regression analyses were completed to determine if any fitness or anthropometric variables were significant predictors of CVD risk. All anthropometric indicators of fatness were highly significantly correlated with CVD risk (P≤0.0001), while only three fitness variables reached a lower level of significance (P≤0.05). WC was the single best anthropometric or fitness predictor of the variance in CVD risk factors (r2=.742; p≤0.004). While SBP was the single best predictor of the variance in CVD risk when all study variables were considered (r2=.932; p≤0.0001).

Anthropometric indicators of body fatness were more significantly associated with and predictive of CVD risk compared to fitness variables in a convenience sample of 28 female high school students. Non-invasive measures that are easily obtained in the school setting may be useful in identifying adolescent females at high risk for developing CVD.