Study finds childhood obesity linked to cardiovascular disease
Kids who are obese or overweight as toddlers are showing signs of cardiovascular disease at as young as 11 years old, new Melbourne-led research shows. Here’s what it found.
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Kids who are obese or overweight as toddlers are showing signs of cardiovascular disease at as young as 11 years old, new Melbourne-led research shows.
A landmark 10-year study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) has found Australian toddlers who had a high Body Mass Index (BMI) when they were two or three, were more likely to have poor heart health at age 11 or 12.
Many already showed evidence of having stiffer arteries and thickened arterial linings in their pre-teen years, which also put them at high risk of later developing metabolic syndrome.
Dr Kate Lycett, a child health researcher at MCRI and Deakin University, said childhood obesity was a national crisis.
“We often think of children who are overweight or obese as having mental health problems, but we don’t often think things like cardiovascular disease or heart health,” she said.
“The key finding for us was that this (heart health) actually worsened the longer the child was obese — and we already know that cardiovascular disease does develop over the life course.”
The findings have further added to calls for stricter policy and government action to stop childhood obesity.
Dr Lycett said things like increasing tax on processed food and making community sport more accessible could help improve kids health.
“I’ve been working in this area for a decade and we’ve seen no shift in the prevalence of obesity,” she said.
“One in four children are obese or overweight and this study really highlights that what we’re doing isn’t working.”
Mum Karen Tibb said exercise was an integral part of 10-year-old daughter Tatum’s (pictured) development.
She said making sure her kids were active everyday was important to keep them healthy and happy both as kids and in future years.
“I think it’s great to have the kids out in the fresh air – they come home happier kids, they’ve got a smile on their faces and they’re better for it,” she said.
“There’s so much social activity and education that is digitally driven these days – which is wonderful — but getting outdoors is really important.”
More than 1800 children took part in the study, which was published in journal paediatrics and part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.
Those involved had their weight and height measured every two years to determine their cardiovascular disease risk scores, before undergoing a full health check at age 11 or 12.
This included checks on blood pressure, blood vessel health, cholesterol and glucose.
Dr Lycett said researchers would continue to follow the group into adolescence in the hope of further exploring childhood health.
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