Pattern and determinants of health-related quality of life of adolescents with congenital heart disease in Cameroon: A single-center cross-sectional study.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment is necessary for the management of patients with congenital heart diseases (CHD). No study has yet been reported on Cameroonian adolescents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the profile of and look for determinants of HRQoL in adolescents with CHD in Cameroon. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with prospective recruitment carried out on 71 adolescents diagnosed with CHD aged 12 to 18 years and recruited at the Douala General Hospital. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire. HRQoL was assessed using the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL4.0) for child and parent reports. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the determinants of HRQoL. Differences were considered significant for p < 0.05. Results: Mean age of participants was 15 ± 2 years with 54.9% women. Mean physical and psychosocial functioning scores were 50.7 ± 13.9 and 60.5 ± 9.6 for parent report and 49.5 ± 13.4 and 59.1 ± 9.1 for child report respectively; with no significant difference according to gender. Distribution of functioning scores according to anatomical complexity showed no significant difference while it was lower in patients with a greater physiological severity and to those with no surgical intervention compared to the others. After multivariate adjustments, physiological stage 3 or 4 was negatively associated while cardiac intervention was positively associated with HRQoL. Conclusion: CHD adolescents exhibit a low level of quality of life. Cardiac intervention positively affects HRQoL and should be targeted in the reduction of HRQoL burden from CHD in Cameroon.

Prevalence and risk factors of pre-hypertension and high blood pressure among adolescents in Cameroonian schools.

Blood pressure (BP) is the main driver of mortality with 12.8% of all deaths worldwide. Adolescents are not spared, precisely in Cameroon where they constitute more than half of its population. The objective of our work was to describe the prevalence and risk factors of pre-hypertension and high blood pressure (HBP) among adolescents in Cameroonian schools. Descriptive study over 5 months; from January to May 2019. The study population consisted of students from private and public schools in the city of Douala. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and personal background data were collected. Physical activity (PA) was assessed using the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with pre-hypertension and HBP. Differences were considered significant for p < .05. We recruited 771 students with an average age of 16 ± 1 years with female predominance (51.4%). The prevalences of pre-hypertension and HBP were 6.6% and 3%, respectively. Overweight/obesity (OR = 4.6; p < .0001), hyperglycemia [(OR = 4.06; p = .001)] physical inactivity (OR = 1.85; p = .019), and public institutions (OR = 1.87; p = .02) were associated with pre-hypertension. Similarly, overweight/obesity (OR = 2.99; p = .022), hyperglycemia (OR = 14.05; p < .0001), and physical inactivity (OR = 8.58; p < .0001) were correlated with HBP. Pre-hypertension and HBP are high in Cameroonian school adolescents and their risk factors are overweight/obesity, hyperglycemia, and physical inactivity.

Cardiovascular risk factors among Cameroonian adolescents: Comparison between public and private schools and association with physical activity practice-a cross-sectional study.

Aim: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide and physical activity (PA) practice is recommended as the most efficient preventive measure to curse their burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Our study aimed to compare cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in adolescents in public and private schools in Cameroon and assess the impact of PA practice. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on students from private and public secondary schools in the city of Douala. Anthropometric parameters, blood glucose, and blood pressure (BP) were collected. PA was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the influence of PA levels on different CVRFs. The differences were considered significant for p < .05. Results: We recruited 771 participants, aged 16 ± 1years, 51.4% female, and 48.6% private school students. Prevalence of CVRFs was 38.4%; 11.5%; 5.6%; 5.4%, and 3% for overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, smoking, glucose homeostasis abnormalities, and high BP (HBP) respectively. Around 41% of participants had low PA level (LPA). Abdominal obesity and LPA were more common among girls (p < .0001 both) and 1.3% of participants had more than four CVRF. In multivariate analysis, LPA was significantly associated with a higher odd of HBP (OR = 7.69; p < .0001). Conclusion: The prevalence of various CVRF is high among Cameroonian adolescent schoolers. Public policies should focus on prevention programs through physical exercise and the reduction of smoking.