We assessed lipid status in a population of 181 schoolchildren and adolescents divided into three age groups: 6-7 years (n = 60), 10-12 years (n = 61) and 13-15 years (n = 60). All subjects were from the Mediterranean coastal area of Vélez-Málaga in southern Spain. Nutrient intakes and biochemical parameters related with lipid status [total cholesterol (TC), HDL-chol, LDL-chol, VLDL-chol and triglycerides (TG)] were measured. Boys and girls aged 6-7 years had the same plasma concentrations of TC and TG; these concentrations were slightly higher than the mean values for age and sex found in earlier studies in Spanish populations. The high TC values were due mainly to increased concentrations of LDL-chol. This age group also had the largest percentage of members (26.6% boys, 36.6% girls) with plasma TC above 200 mg/dl. Of the groups aged 10-12 years, more girls than boys had abnormally high plasma cholesterol (16.1 vs 10%), HDL-chol (6.5 vs 0%) and TG concentrations (6.5 vs 0%). However, more adolescent boys than adolescent girls (aged 13-15 years) had abnormally low plasma concentrations of HDL-chol (10 vs 3.3%).