The MACISTE (Metabolic And Cardiovascular Investigation at School, Terni) is a population-based observational study conducted in subjects attending a high school in Terni, Umbria – Italy. The study aims to collect a large dataset of information describing the metabolic and cardiovascular behavior of a population of adolescents.
There is a large body of evidence linking the presence of cardiovascular risk factors in early adulthood and the occurrence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in later life. However, less is known about the relationship between traditional and newer cardiovascular risk factors with early signs of organ damage in childhood and adolescence. Specifically, less studies have evaluated the relationship between cardiovascular and metabolic findings and the presence of early vascular damage, such as segmental and local arterial stiffening, intima-media thickness and arterial distensibility. Preliminary results from large prospective studies, such as the Young Finns Study1 , suggest the existence of an association between levels of physical activity and carotid elasticity later in life, and other reports seems to confirm such association**.