A recent study highlighted the importance of health behaviors over health factors for children’s cardiovascular wellbeing, with the pivotal age appearing as early as 10 years. In simpler language, we are coming to understand that choices at a young age have an even greater effect on a child’s lifelong heart health than their genetics do. So what choices are we talking about?

Most of them, apparently.

When adults trip and fall, they usually get injured. When kids trip and fall, they usually bounce and keep running. As a result, we tend to think of children’s health as being more resilient. Certainly, they get kid-fluenza and bronch-kid-is, but we don’t worry about them having “adult” problems like cardiac or circulatory issues. Unfortunately, it appears that lack of concern early in life is exacerbating the problems later.

The American Heart Association has recently released “Life’s Essential 8,” a set of basic criteria (4 behaviors and 4 factors) used to determine cardiovascular health. Factors are blood sugar, cholesterol, body mass index, and blood pressure; and while they are important, as the study revealed, the behaviors of smoking, diet, physical activity and sleep duration weight even more heavily.

How serious is this problem? Of US children, age 2-19, what percentage would you guess fall into the optimal cardiovascular health range? Would you be hopeful and guess 75%? Maybe 50% if you’re being more realistic? How about 25%? Or would that just feel cynical?

The real number is 2%.

That’s correct. Only 2% of US children fall into the optimal range for cardiovascular health.

While it may come as a surprise that factors influence CVH more heavily than genetics, this is actually a good thing—a very good thing. Why?

Because a child’s genetics aren’t in our control. Their behaviors are. Children eat what we give them. If we give them a diet rich in healthy vegetables, it automatically helps regulate their cholesterol and blood pressure. If we greatly reduce their refined sugar intake, it automatically helps regulate their blood sugar levels. If parents and caregivers stop smoking, it automatically reduces the child’s exposure to tobacco products.

Our children’s health is all of our responsibility. Fortunately, if something is our responsibility, that also means it is within our control.

It is within our power to change. At Transonic, we believe in change. Almost as much as we believe in cardiovascular health. For sake of the kids, let’s all work together and turn a cliché into a reality:

“Be the change you want to see.”

Our kids need this!

Thanks for reading,

               Transonic Systems, Inc

                              The Measure of Better Results

Reference:

New study pinpoints pivotal period for improving cardiovascular health in children | ScienceDaily