Cardiovascular Health Promotion in Children: Program and Policy Implications

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; it is also a major factor in rising health care costs. Risk factors for the disease are present in childhood, at the time when lifelong health habits are forming. Thus, strategies for improving the cardiovascular health of children through programs and policy may be expected to have a maximum effect. The cardiovascular health in children study identified the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in 2209 children age 8 to 11 years, attending 21 rural and urban public schools in North Carolina. Schools were randomly selected from three regions of the state (coastal, piedmont, mountain) in which the frequency of cardiovascular disease differs. Initial results of the study demonstrate the use of such findings in formulating health policy and in designing intervention programs.

The Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior as a Conceptual Guide in the Explanation of Children's Health Behaviors

“…Confirming those results, Thompson and Dennison (1994) found that more than 80% of children in the United States consume an excess of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than is recommended. Poor eating habits in childhood can lead to obesity, as well as to high cholesterol levels (Harrell & Frauman, 1994).…”

Women's Health Surveillance: Implications for Policy

“…Further, research showing an association between infant and childhood risk factors and adult chronic conditions, including heart disease, points to the need for indicators to reflect the multiplicity of interactions across the lifespan. [ 23 , 24 ] Emerging theories in social epidemiology offer important constructs to explore the "cumulative interplay between exposure, susceptibility and resistance. "[ 25 ] Such theories are based, in part, on increased understanding of the interrelations between the psychological and the somatic, especially the impacts that stressors, such as discrimination and early deprivation, have on human health.…”