The Doctor is In: Keeping Young Hearts Healthy

Posted by Crozer Keystone Staff on February 8, 2012

A recent nationwide
study of more than 5,500 students ages 12 to 19 found that today’s youth
face a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease at a younger adult age
than the generations of adults before them. The study was conducted by
researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and
presented during the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in November
2011.

According to the Northwestern University research,
cardiovascular death rates are increasing for the first time in adults between
35 and 44 years old, and particularly among women in this age group.
Researchers attribute the rise in mortality rates to the cumulative
consequences of lifestyle choices – such as a poor diet, physical inactivity,
and smoking -- made during the preteen and teenage years. For example, nearly
one-fourth of teenagers surveyed by Northwestern University had smoked
cigarettes in the month prior to taking part in the research study, and all of
the participants were found to regularly eat meals high in sodium and fat, and
low in heart-healthy fruits, whole grains and vegetables.

Just as in adults, these kinds of unhealthy lifestyle habits
in adolescence and young adulthood can lead to high
blood pressure, obesity, and high
cholesterol – all risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

To keep your young one’s heart in top condition, it’s
important to schedule routine wellness exams and age-appropriate health
screenings for your daughter or son. Your family physician should check your
child’s height and weight to calculate his or her body-mass index (BMI)
percentile. BMI screening is
recommended beginning at age 2. BMI for children is expressed as a percentile
ranking on BMI-for-age growth charts published by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Children at a healthy weight fall within the 5th percentile
to less than the 85th percentile on those charts.

Several medical organizations also recommend screening
children for high cholesterol and high blood pressure, particularly if
cardiovascular disease is common in your family. Current guidelines
issued by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute promote a baseline
cholesterol screening, using a non-fasting lipid test, in children between the
ages of 9 to 11 and a follow-up screening between the ages of 17 and 21. To
detect high blood pressure, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a
baseline screening beginning at age 3 for most children.

As a family, you can manage your risk factors for
cardiovascular disease – and prevent other health conditions such as type 2
diabetes – by developing healthier eating habits and finding fun
calorie-burning activities that you can enjoy together. For some useful ideas,
check out these write-ups on healthy
eating and helping
your child be more active from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

*Joshua Feinberg,
D.O., is a family medicine physician in practice at the Crozer Health Pavilion, 145 Brinton Lake Road, Suite 201, Glen Mills, PA 19342,
610-459-1619.

About Crozer Keystone Staff

Crozer-Keystone Health System’s physicians, specialists and advanced practitioners are committed to improving the health of our community through patient-centered, quality care across a full continuum of health services. Crozer Brinton Lake is Crozer-Keystone’s comprehensive outpatient care facility in western Delaware County, offering primary care, specialty services, outpatient surgery and advanced cancer treatment. Contact us: 300 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills, PA 19342 http://www.crozerkeystone.org/Brinton-Lake 1-855-254-7425