The Know Your Body program in Italy

Two hundred and ninety-five boys and two hundred and fourteen girls aged 11 to 15 years, attending a senior elementary school in Mugnano, a suburb of Naples, Italy, participated in the “Know Your Body” program as part of an international collaborative health project. Mean cholesterol levels were 148 mg/dl in boys and 152 mg/dl in girls; fourteen children (3.6%) had serum cholesterol levels above 180 mg/dl. Eighteen children (3.4%) had blood pressure equal to or greater than $\text{140}\text{90}$ mm Hg. Twenty-two percent of the children reported being current smokers (one or more cigarettes per week) and 20% reported being occasional smokers (less than one cigarette per week).