Comprehensive screening for cardiovascular risk, including testing for cholesterol and diabetes, is feasible in middle schools, according to a small study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. Furthermore, screening in some school settings has a high yield of abnormal test results. While The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association recommend screening older, school-age children for weight status, hypertension, lipid abnormalities, and diabetes, it is known that the majority of children are not being screened in primary care offices. Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s conducted a pilot to assess the feasibility of universal screening for diabetes, lipid abnormalities, and hypertension in the middle-school setting. Diabetes screening (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] testing) was offered to all participating students, since medical histories were not available. Only one mailing requesting consent was mailed to families. Of the 290 seventh and eighth grade students, 16 percent of parents consented at Northwood Middle School, located in a city of 20,000 people without a pediatric practice in its city limit. Screening was conducted during two 4-hour morning sessions. A letter was sent home with the screening results and suggestions for follow-up, if needed, with a primary care provider or an appropriate pediatric […]