BOCA RATON, Fla., May 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Modern teenagers engage in less healthy behaviors today than those of just 20 years ago and are more likely to face health risks into adulthood as a result. The Institute of Etiological Research assessed the trends in behavior among early adolescents using a nationally representative database of the US population and published the findings in Southern Medical Journal. They found that teenagers today have more cardiovascular risk factors than they did just one generation ago due to the decline of participation to the current public health recommendations for adolescents which consists of substantial physical activity, a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, less consumption of ultra-processed foods, maintenance of a normal BMI, and the avoidance of cigarette smoking while maintaining normal cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. These recommendations are designed to reduce high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus in adulthood.
The study compared the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among 1408 adolescents, age 12-16, surveyed from 1988 to 1994 with that of 1812 adolescents surveyed from 2011 to 2016 by obtaining and comparing measures on physical activity, diet, body mass index, smoking status, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. The major finding of the study was that the number of adolescents who had all 7 healthy cardiovascular protective factors unfortunately declined from 27.6% to 9.6% during the study period. On the other hand, the silver lining from the study was a substantial reduction of smoking rates among teenagers.
"We found that the prevalence of obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, high blood sugar, and cardiovascular medication use increased over the time frame of 1988 to 2016, and that fewer adolescents obtain optimal nutrition from a well-rounded diet of fruits and vegetables and are instead consuming higher amounts of ultra-processed foods that are high in salt, sugar, and poor-quality fats" according to spokesperson, Cyprianna Green from the Institute of Etiological Research.
In a recent interview, the study's lead investigator, Eric Hecht MD, MPH, PhD said, "while the reduced smoking rates are a substantial public health win, the change in teenage obesity rates driven by poor diet and reduced exercise are reaching alarming levels and suggest that in just a few decades, these teenagers will still be faced with premature cardiovascular disease."
The decline and nonadherence to the recommended cardiovascular behaviors during adolescence stem from both the child's and parents' insufficient knowledge or awareness of the consequences of unhealthy behaviors and insufficient access and offering of healthy food options both at school and home. Societal factors also play a role, including socioeconomic factors that deny adolescents access to fresh food, schools that provide non nutritious meals and less physical education and adverse industrial advertising, which push poor food choices.
The behavior recommendations for adolescents to reduce their lifetime cardiovascular risk is to have at least 180 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week. A diet that is low in sodium, less processed foods, and rich in whole grains, 2 cups of fruits per day, 3 cups of vegetables per day, and the avoidance of cigarette smoking. The full study can be found on our website https://www.etioinstitute.org/publications.
About The Institute of Etiological Research: We are a public health research organization dedicated to finding those factors that contribute to human illness. Here at our Institute, we think it's important to define the causes of disease and not just attempt to treat disease once it occurs. We believe that most chronic illness has its origins in environmental and behavioral exposures and knowing what causes a particular illness is the best way to practice disease prevention. This is the mission of our institute: To contribute to a body of evidence that moves us out of harm's way.
Contact: Marian Moreno
Director of Public Relations
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SOURCE Institute Of Etiological Research
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