Heart Disease Prevention for Kids

Introduction

Usually, it is older people are who affected the most from cardiovascular diseases. This group of diseases is one of the major reasons for morbidity and mortality, worldwide. Heart diseases in kids are quite rare. Let’s play a little game. Close your eyes and try to think of kids who are suffering from heart disease in your vicinity. We are pretty sure that the number isn’t that high. But it doesn’t mean heart diseases don’t get kids. They do, and when they do, it is a very tragic situation.

In this discussion, we are focusing on how these heart diseases can be prevented in kids. There are many elements involved in this discussion. We will try to cover all of these factors comprehensively in this discussion.

Defining a heart disease

So what defines a heart disease? Well, simply put, you have heart disease when your heart isn’t pumping well or the vessels aren’t functioning properly. We all know that proper blood circulation is extremely important. Heart diseases reduce this circulatory and pumping capacity of the heart. Some of the major diseases include arteriosclerosis, angina, heart attack, and stroke.

Childhood and adult heart disease prevention

Heart diseases are always associated with adults. But we often tend to ignore the root cause of these heart diseases. When is the seed of the problem sown? Of course, it is childhood. The habits one has during childhood can be pivotal to heart health in the years to come. The findings from the CDC portray a picture that sums up the situation quite aptly.

Let’s talk about obesity. It is one of the major reasons for adult heart diseases. However, one out of every five U.S. children suffers from obesity. Now, what does that tell you? If we can control obesity in childhood, we might be successful in heart disease prevention.

Food and heart disease prevention

Diet is one of the major players when it comes to heart disease prevention, no matter kids or adults. There are two key features of a diet plan which is designed with an intent to prevent heart diseases. Firstly, the calories level meets the daily requirement of that particular individual. The second crucial factor is the level of saturated fats in meals. When it comes down to childhood heart-healthy food, there are some important points you must remember:

1- Breastfeeding the infants for a longer period minimizes the risk of heart diseases.

2- Heart disease prevention demands a diet that is composed of vegetables, grains, proteins, and low-fat dairy products.

3- Carbonated drinks are quite damaging to heart health, one has to make sure children drink plenty of water.

4- Don’t stuff your kids, let them eat to their heart’s content. Don’t force them to clean their plates, as some parents do that.

A healthy lifestyle is helpful in heart disease prevention

Diet won’t be able to do a lot, alone. You have to compliment your good diet with a healthy lifestyle. Make sure that children do the following for effective heart disease prevention:

1- Daily regular physical activity is a must when it comes to a healthy heart. Make sure your kids are out there jogging in their tracksuits, weather in the morning or the evening!

2- We understand that television and computer are a necessity of modern-day life. However, regulating the time these devices are used for is also very important.

3- Make sure your kids don’t fall prey to injurious habits like smoking. Smoking and heart disease is prevention are inversely proportional to each other!

Surgeries for heart disease prevention

Surgeries are a kind of last option when it comes to heart disease prevention for kids. Different surgery options are available, each of these must be utilized, depending upon the patient health. These options include angioplasty, bypass surgery, pacemakers, and valve replacement. These surgeries can be quite useful in the prevention of heart attacks and strokes.

Conclusion

Well, that’s all from this discussion. Kids usually don’t reflect the symptoms of major heart diseases. However, one has to constantly monitor heart health when it comes to kids. This eventually helps in heart disease prevention in both kids and adults. Once again, we must emphasize the importance of controlling risk factors like unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, when it comes to heart disease prevention. If you can eat healthily and fight inactivity, we promise you this. Your heart and blood vessels will never betray your body!