Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Disturbingly rising rates of teen cardiac risk factors
One in five young teens studied had high blood pressure and most already had at least one major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, says the study, which examined the heart health of 20,719 Grade 9 students aged 14 and 15 over the course of seven years.
"The most disturbing thing is that the trends have shown that this is either getting worse, or at best, hasn't changed over this period of time," said Dr. Brian McCrindle, a cardiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. "I think it speaks to the fact that although there has been greater public awareness of the problem... that hasn't yet translated into any behaviour changes."
Heart Niagara Ltd., a non-profit organization, collected the data for the study between 2002 and 2008, and McCrindle and his childhood obesity research team partnered with them to analyze and interpret the results.
The percentage of Grade 9 students with one or more cardiovascular risk factors rose four points between 2002 and 2008, from 17 per cent to 21 per cent.
The percentage of students with elevated cholesterol rose seven points, from nine per cent to 16 per cent.
As risk factors for heart disease and stroke have increased, so have the hours of sedentary behaviour among teens.
The percentage of 14- and 15-year-olds who spent 20 hours per week watching TV or playing video games rose from 22 per cent to 24 per cent between 2002 and 2008. And the percentage of Grade 9 students who are physically active for 90 minutes at least five times per week fell from 28 to 22 per cent.
-- Canwest News Service
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 27, 2009 A8
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