Purpose: The objective of this project is to understand general pediatricians’ screening and treatment processes in children with a variety of cardiovascular disease risk factors. We believe that less than 50% of general pediatricians follow current national guidelines for screening cholesterol in children ages 9-11.
Methods: Pediatricians in the Cook Children's network were given a questionnaire via email from the Medical Staff, where the data was collected electronically.
Results: 1. 29% of respondents gave cholesterol screenings 100% of the time in 9-11 year old children in routine check-ups 2. 21% of respondents gave cholesterol screenings 0% of the time in 9-11 year old children in routine check-ups 3. More respondents were likely to have a child's cholesterol screened if they had other conditions, such as Diabetes Mellitus, are obese, and have a family history of cardiovascular disease
Conclusions: The sample size of this project was too small to make conclusive results, but it gives an idea of where general pediatricians come from and the mentality behind universal screening for cardiovascular health in children ages 9-11 years old.