All public health centres, Research institute in the City of Melbourne, Australia

Sydney, July 8 Dear parents, read this carefully. Toddlers who were obese or overweight show concerning signs of cardiovascular disease at 11-12 years of age, say researchers.For the findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, the research team examined 1,811 children whose weight and height were measured every two years (age 0-1 to 9-10 years) to determine cardiovascular disease risk scores.At age 11-12, the participants underwent further health checks looking at blood pressure, blood vessel health, cholesterol and glucose levels.The research highlighted the silent effects of obesity in childhood and the need to intervene early."Our findings are in line with the World Health Organisation's calls for urgent collaborative action to address the matter through systems-based approaches and policy implementation," said study researcher Melissa Wake from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) in Australia."Such policies include increasing taxes on processed foods high in fat and sugar, safer and improved public transport and walking to school pathways and making community-based sporting activities more affordable and accessible," Wake added.The researchers found that Australian children who were obese or overweight very early in life already show evidence by age 11-12 years of stiffer arteries, thickened arterial lining and are a high risk of later developing metabolic syndrome.This worsened the longer these young children were overweight or obese.According to the team, until now little was known about when and how early life body mass index (BMI) impacted heart health in childhood and most studies have previously just looked at standard risk factors such as blood pressure alone."Previous studies have tended to rely on a single BMI measurement in childhood and then examined subsequent heart health outcomes in adulthood," said study researcher Kate Lycett."This overlooks the considerable BMI changes as part of normal childhood growth," she added."This public health crisis threatens the modest decline in cardiovascular deaths in developed countries, which has largely been achieved through preventive efforts focused on cardiovascular risk factors," the study authors wrote. ( With inputs from IANS )

All Public Health CentresFOLLOW

All public health centres, Latest News

Sydney, July 17 Australia's Sydney city on Friday provided further support for restaurants, bars and venues to get ... ...

Sydney, July 16 Cricket Australia on Thursday announced a 26-man preliminary squad for a potential limited-overs series in ... ...

Melbourne, July 14 Cricket Australia (CA) is set to appoint a mental health expert after the high-pressure nature ... ...

Melbourne, July 14 Australia white-ball skipper Aaron Finch's heart-warming gesture is winning hearts across the country as he recently ... ...

Sydney, July 12 Former Crystal Palace and Aston Villa mid-fielder Mile Jedinak has announced his retirement from football. ... ...

Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane revealed that legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had advised him to enjoy the moment and forget everything else on his Test debut. ...

Sydney, July 9 Australia head coach Justin Langer wants the team to tour England and he also batted ... ...

Sydney, July 8 Dear parents, read this carefully. Toddlers who were obese or overweight show concerning signs of cardiovascular ... ...