The objective of this study was to examine the effect of lifestyle factors (nutrition, physical activity and smoking habits) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in child-parent pairs. For that purpose, 2001 natural child-parent pairs from 852 families were enrolled in the PEP (Prevention Education Program) Family Heart Study which is a 15-year prospective community-based study. Results showed a close association between high-fat consumption and an increased LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio (odds ratio [OR]=3.6) in mothers, and hypertriglyceridemia (OR=2.6) in fathers. Low monounsaturated fatty acid intake was also significantly associated with a high LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio (OR=3.4) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR=2.2) in fathers. A strong parent-child correlation for LDL cholesterol was observed. Higher energy consumption was significantly associated with hypertension in mothers (OR=2.5) and in fathers (OR=1.7). Hypercaloric nutrition in fathers predicted a 2.8-fold higher energy intake in sons, and excessive calorie intake by mothers predicted 7.5-fold higher energy consumption by daughters and a 3-fold higher energy intake by sons. More than 20% of parents and children reported to practice physical activity at least twice a week. However, the intergenerational association of low physical activity was stronger between mothers and their daughters (OR=2.3) than between mothers and their sons (OR=1.7), and the association with fathers for low physical activity was only present with their daughters (OR=2.1). In addition, passive-smoking children presented a more adverse cardiovascular risk profile than children without exposure to secondhand smoke. These results provide evidence that intergenerational associations between lifestyle factors and CVD risk factors do exist between parents and children.
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