Heart Disease and Childhood Obesity
How can heart disease actually pertain to childhood obesity? Glad you asked. To start with, parents of many children who would be considered as overweight or obese do not see their child as being too heavy; many actually think that their child is about the "right" weight. In research published in the February edition of Diabetes Care, Dr. Asheley Cockrell Skinner of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill notes out that this misconception on the part of the parents means that the child will also fail to see their weight as a problem. Dr. Skinner and colleagues say that an important first step in preventing childhood obesity is the recognition that there is a problem. Without this recognition they say, families will not take steps toward diet and lifestyle changes that will prevent continued weight gain. In a statement made by the Committee on Atherosclerosis, Hypertension, and Obesity in the Young (AHOY) of the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, American Heart Association, it was noted that:
"Coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for close to half a million deaths each year. During the past two decades, convincing evidence has emerged that links defined risk factors in adults with an accelerated atherosclerotic process. Pathological data have shown that atherosclerosis begins in childhood and that the extent of atherosclerotic change in children and young adults can be correlated with the presence of the same risk factors identified in adults. It thus seems eminently reasonable to initiate healthful lifestyle training in childhood to promote improved cardiovascular health in adult life." Which, simply stated, means that the youth of our nation is experiencing early onset of cardiovascular diseases. Can you imagine going to the store one day with little Johnny and having Johnny collapse on the floor because he's having a heart attack? Read this article on heart disease and heart failure to learn more about what to expect if your child does have heart disease, and how to handle it.
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