CHILDREN’S HEART HEALTH GUIDE

Initiating healthful lifestyle “training” in childhood to reduce risk of coronary heart disease later in life is a key principle behind new guidelines published in the July 1 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Health Association (AHA).

Helping children visualize a “healthy plate” of food (one half-filled with salad and vegetables, one-fourth with starch, and one-fourth with a protein), be physically active, and remain smoke-free are fundamental parts of establishing lifelong heart health, said the AHA in announcing its new childhood guidelines.

For physicians, they suggest a variety of tests and interventions, such as cholesterol screening for 2- to 5-year-old children of parents with high cholesterol, educating families about the medical complications of obesity, and teaching young children that smoking is a harmful and addictive behavior.

Source: Mike Mitka; JAMA; 288:4; July 24/31; 2001; p.441.

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