Parents' Beliefs about Cholesterol and its Effects on Their Children

A random sample of parents of primary grade children (N = 500) was obtained from two higher socioeconomic-status suburban elementary schools. The respondents (n = 277) were well educated (92% attended or graduated from college), white (92%), primarily higher in socioeconomic status (79% earned more than $50,000/year), and female (70%). Two-thirds of the parents believed that all elementary school children should have their cholesterol levels checked, 70% believed high cholesterol in children was serious, yet only 21% believed their child would develop a high cholesterol level. To control their children's cholesterol level, the majority of parents (73%) made lifestyle changes for their children since the majority believed high cholesterol levels would clog arteries (95%) and cause heart disease (90%). Parents most often received their information on cholesterol from magazines (73%), newspapers (62%), and physicians (52%)

Cholesterol · Developmental psychology · Environmental health · Socioeconomic status · Demography · Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins · Internal Medicine · Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Psychology

• Perceptions of Childhood Obesity of Undergraduate Students in Physical Education

  Open Access•Michael P Savage•Psychological Reports•1995

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