How exercise prevents future heart disease in children discusses the need to forestall kids’ obesity and heart trouble by promoting physical education in schools.
Experts recommend 1 hour of exercise per day (kids have energy to burn) to help ward off heart disease, as adults do. However, a new study suggests more activity may even be needed to have the maximum benefit. Therefore, to maintain optimal health, the recommendation is 1.5 hours (90 minutes) per day to prevent clustering of heart disease risk factors.
This was a new finding in a study. The research team selected over 1,700 school children, aged 9 or 15 years, to measure each child’s daily activity. Also, the researchers:
- Measured risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as blood pressure, weight, waist circumference, insulin resistance (a precursor for diabetes), and blood cholesterol.
- Equipped children with accelerometers, devices that measure everyday activities such as moderate-intensity play and walking to school.
Most of the activities measured by the accelerometer involve everyday activities, and not high-intensity sports.
Findings on daily exercise and impact on health
Decreased cardiovascular risk factor: After four days of monitoring, it was found that the combined risk factor score for cardiovascular disease decreased as physical activity increased. The lowest risk factor scores were found in the nine-year-olds who did 116 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity activity and the 15-year-olds who did about 88 minutes daily.
Link between exercise and health: The researchers also found a dose-response relationship between health and physical activity, meaning that ordinary play activities do seem to be important for kids’ health. Likewise, it was noted that a clustering of heart disease risk factors occurs even in healthy children, and the risk is more than three times higher among sedentary children compared to the physically active.
What the findings mean
Create a natural habitat for physical activity: In view of these findings, more must be done to create a society where physical activity is a natural part of everyday life. And search for effective strategies to increase physical activity.
Endeavour to live an active lifestyle: This means an active lifestyle outside, walking or cycling to school. Besides, children should train their motor skills in school PE lessons, which must be reinforced at school and throughout daily life.
Move your body or lose your health
How exercise prevents future heart disease in children provides a clear message: Move your body or lose your health. Sounds drastic? Not really. It is a simple fact. However, sadly, levels of physical activity continue to decline, as technology does more of what muscles used to do at both work and play. This trend is especially noteworthy for children, as competing demands squeeze both physical activity and recess out of the typical school day, and (TV/computer) screen time replaces playground or sporting time.
Why is the case for kids to remain active crucial?
Adults and children alike need to maintain healthful levels of exercise. So, find ways to put motion into your daily routine, especially that of your children.
For example, when schools do not have time for a dedicated hour of physical education, sessions of brief activity could be provided in the classroom during each session of the day, such as:
ABC for fitness
“ABC for Fitness” is about having activity bursts in the classroom, whereby children can use the alphabet to recognise different sporting activities, and try to improvise in class. The idea is to implant some level of the need to move the body, which they can now do at greater length at home.
Five practical steps for exercise provision
Opportunities for exercise can be provided through five practical steps in elementary schools, high schools, child development centers, colleges, and universities. The idea is that schools should take the initiative for this program because kids spend a lot of time in school for many years. Therefore, they should be encouraged to be as physically active, as they need, to be healthy.
The 5 practical steps programme calls for:
- Schools to establish a daily minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity during school hours, and set up health education programs that encourage exercise and discourage sedentary behavior;
- Schools to establish optional exercise programs outside school hours, provide extracurricular sports clubs, and promote safe walking and biking routes to school;
- States to ensure that physical education programmes are taught by certified and highly qualified teachers, and to hold schools accountable for the adequacy of such programs and for ensuring they are part of a core curriculum;
- Child development centers and elementary schools should ensure at least 30 minutes of daily recess for exercise.
- Higher education groups are to establish programs that produce highly qualified PE and health education teachers.
Finally, at least for your children, you must remember that nothing less than their health, quality of life, and perhaps even life expectancy is at stake.
Photo credit: Creative Commons
