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Research shows Irish teens showing signs of heart disease
Posted by Sally O'Brien, on 07/01/2015.
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Tags: Education And Politics Parenting
According to Aviva Health, new research shows that overweight teens as young as fifteen years old are displaying signs of heart disease and that obesity in teen girls can affect fertility.
Because of poor levels of fitness with Irish teens, health experts say that obesity is causing many health complications including heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in Ireland and ‘involves the build-up of plaque in the walls of blood vessels and boys with low levels of fitness had significantly more plaque in the walls of the arteries supplying the brain than those with high levels of fitness.’
Furthermore, overweight and obese young girls can develop polycystic ovary syndrome, one of the most common causes of infertility. According to Prof. Niall Moyna of the Centre for Preventive Medicine in Dublin City University, who is part of the Aviva Health ‘School Fitness Challenge’, a program aimed at assessing teen fitness, explains:
“The research clearly shows the danger of poor levels of aerobic fitness with 15 year olds already showing signs of early onset heart disease. A high level of fitness reduces the risk for major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression and diabetes.”
Prof. Moyna told The Irish Independent that because of rising obesity levels due to poor fitness with teens this can lead to health problems later in life:
"We have been getting information for the past decade that our kids have become more inactive and more obese. If you have a poor diet - and you don't exercise - the child develops fatty plaques. It's occurring much more rapidly now than we ever thought it would."
The new program, aimed at 1st, 2nd, 3rd and TY students, will run from January to April 2015, and will assess the fitness levels of Irish school children while advocating the improvement of their overall health. Schools register online to participate. The closing date for entries is Saturday 17th January 2015
Are you a parent looking for advice on obesity and overweight children? please read our article here.
Pat Shankey
(09-01-2015 10:12)
Also aimed at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and TY students, and already available in many schoools, is the very educational health game called Salubria The Health Game. It cover the essentials of nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle diseases.