Dr Amanda Marma Payrac, a pediatric cardiologist at Chicago Children's Hospital, believes that protecting a child's heart health can start with paying attention to the mother's health during pregnancy or even before pregnancy. If you already have children, now is the time to start.
Dr Sarah de Ferranti and Dr Payrac, associate professors of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, made the following suggestions on the management of children's heart health:
● Dietary intervention
Healthy eating habits are very important for heart health. The dietary pattern suggested by Perak is: 1/2 is vegetables and fruits, 1/4 is lean protein, 1/4 is whole grains, and the rest is dairy products.
●? Be patient, okay?
Sarah de Ferranti found that it is effective to provide children with fruits and vegetables first when they are most hungry, instead of arguing about eating a certain amount of fruits and vegetables. It is a long process to expose children to healthy food many times, which requires parents' repeated attempts and patience.
●? do gymnastics
You can start exercising at an early age. Even for babies, we can consider letting them move around their parents' stomachs instead of being confined to strollers or dining chairs for a long time. Organized exercise is super helpful, but if it is too intense, it will also increase stress and reduce sleep time.
●? adequate sleep
Sleepy children are less likely to take part in sports activities, or may crave unhealthy food to find energy bursts. For example, lack of sleep is related to childhood obesity. According to the statistics of American Heart Association, the amount of sleep needed by children to promote rehabilitation, improve brain function and reduce the risk of chronic diseases varies with age: 1-2 years old needs1-14 hours; 3-5 years old need 10- 13 hours; 6- 12 years old takes 9- 12 hours; 13- 18 years old takes 8- 10 hours.
Do a routine activity before going to bed to give your child time to calm down. Payrac said: "Previous studies have clearly shown that the consistency of sleep patterns is related to children getting enough sleep."
●? Measure blood pressure
It is very important to know your child's blood pressure data. The definition of hypertension in children varies with age, height and sex.
●? mental health
Mental health is very important for heart health. Stress events in childhood are related to unhealthy behaviors and cardiovascular problems in later life. During the coronavirus pneumonia-19 epidemic, Sarah de Ferranti found that many young people developed hypertension or other symptoms, such as chest pain, palpitations or dizziness. The report of American Health Bureau 20021on adolescent mental health points out that parents should pay attention to their children's mental state and other signs of pain and seek help if necessary.
●? Advance with times
Like anything related to parenting, parents need to be vigilant. For example, ten years ago, the threat of e-cigarettes to health was unknown. Now, scientific evidence shows that the use of e-cigarettes will damage cardiovascular health. As parents, we must be flexible in dealing with the development of health knowledge, because the world is constantly changing.
● There is no need to be harsh.
This is a lasting station. In caring for children's heart health, they can do well as a whole, rather than pursuing perfection.