How To Prevent Heart Damage Among Children

Experts have identified constant mobility as a key way of preventing heart damage in children.
They have come up with a study that indicates that the accumulation of inactive time is related and results to heart damage, even if the weight of the body and blood pressure is normal.
The study which was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in 2023 and published by Science Daily in August 2023, also indicates that, hours of inactivity during childhood could be setting the stage for heart attacks and strokes later in life.
According to the study author, Dr. Andrew Agbaje of the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland, long hours before screens by young people may add up to a heavier heart which leads to heart attack.
” All those hours of screen time in young people add up to a heavier heart, which we know from studies in adults raises the likelihood of heart attack and stroke. Children and teenagers need to move more to protect their long term health”, he said.
This study was conducted as part of the Children of the 1990s study, which began in 1990/1991 and is one of the world’s largest cohorts with lifestyle measurements from birth.
For the study, at 11years of age, the children wore a smart watch with an activity tracker for seven days. This was repeated at 15 years of age and again at 24 years of age. The weight of the heart’s left ventricle was assessed by Echocardiography, a type of ultrasound scan, at 17 and 24 years of age and reported in grams relative to height (g/m 2.7).
The researchers analysed the association between sedentary time between 11 and 24 years of age after adjusting for factors that could influence the relationship including age, sex, blood pressure, body fat, smoking, physical activity and socio economic status.
The study included 766 children, of whom 55% were girls and 45% were boys. At 11years of age, children were sedentary for an average of 362 minutes a day, rising to 474 minutes a day in young adulthood (24 years of age).
This meant that sedentary time increased by an average of 169 minutes(2.8 hours ) a day between childhood and young adulthood.
The study also indicates that each one minutes increase in sedentary time from 11 to 24 years of age was associated with 0.004 g/m2.7 increase in left ventricular mass between 17 to 24 years of age which could lead to increased risk of heart disease.
Dr. Agbaje said that, “Children were sedentary for more than six hours a day and this increased by nearly three hours a day by the time they reached young adulthood”.
He said that this development can lead to heart damage during adulthood.
He, however, advised parents to encourage children and teenagers to move more by taking them out for a walk and limiting time spent on social media and video games.
Other reports indicated that this development is more with children in urban centers, who rarely go out to play or engage in physical activity.
It analysed that, with the growing dependency on technology and change in lifestyle, children are less active as compared to the earlier generation.
This, according to reports poses risks to their health that may not be noticed immediately. The adverse effects may show up later in life and can be a long term, if changes are not made easily.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a sedentary lifestyle could very well be among the 10 leading causes of death and disability in the world.
Another study by Kaiser Family Foundation found that, the average child in the 8-18 years age group is spending an alarming seven hours in front of the screen (television, mobile, laptop) every day.
Yet, in another study, “Physical activity in childhood may be the key to optimizing lifespan skeletal health”, published by the National Center for Biotechnology information in 2013, an hour of outdoor play or engaging in a physical activity everyday is extremely important for children. It also stated that this may not be at a time but can be beneficial when done in stages. It however, helps them burn energy, tone the muscles and also help stimulate the brain.
It added that the human body is meant to move, so any lack of physical activity deteriorates and weakens the body, sags the muscles, stiffens the joint, and causes pain.
Other studies suggested that there is a relationship between inactive lifestyle and the increased risk of cancer. The risk is not different in children as in adults. It is associated with an increased risk of more than 10 types of cancer.
It is also linked to 25% higher chance of feeling low and depressed, thereby displaying mood swings leading to depression. When active, the body releases endorphins and serotonin which leads to the feeling good factor and in turn reduces the risk of depression and anxiety too.
Many recent studies have shown an incremental decline in children’s physical activity over the last two decades with the digital world playing a major part by replacing the physical time for children to play before now.
A research done at Essex University comparing the results of children now with results from children 30 years before indicated that it takes 90 seconds longer for children today to run a mile than it did before.
It also indicated that 95% of children years ago can run more than children today. Also, children before had a 26% greater arm strength, they also had a 7% stronger hand grip. And that children 30years ago could do 27.1% more sit ups.
Another research indicated that just 24% of children aged 6 to 17 participate in 60 minutes of physical activity every day, which is optimum for that age group.
These upsetting results indicate that children are indeed becoming less active and this issue carries certain risks for their health.
It is , however, important to note that a developing child grows their cells much faster than an adult. Some cells form only when we are young and science shows that physical activity is one of the most important factors in determining how both our bodies and minds develop.
Once we get older, the core muscle and bone structure will remain similar to what we have developed at young age. Therefore, when children lead unhealthy lifestyle, they set a bad foundation that leads to health issues in the future.
It is the duty of parents to set examples as positive role models for their children to follow. Planning regular family trips to places close to nature which may lead to running, swinging, swimming and climbing is important. This would help the child get sound sleep at the end of the day and get healthier.
Also, enrolling the child in a sport that he or she enjoys or activity like dancing is a great way to get the body moving and learn more things as well.

By: Ibinabo Ogolo