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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 The study results are published in the Nov. 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Meyer cautioned that these benefits would quickly vanish if the teens did not maintain their healthy new lifestyle and strive to become even more physically active. "Generally, in children, we recommend moderate exercise of 45-90 minutes per day to keep cardiovascular risk low," he said.
Parental support is essential, Meyer said, but it can be difficult to convince parents -- who may themselves be obese and sedentary -- that their children's lives depend on eating right and exercising regularly.
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"Most obese children don't get sufficient support in their efforts to reduce weight," Meyer said. "We have intensive talks with the parents about their children's medical and vascular status. We try to make clear that the whole family needs to change its risky behavior."
In recent years, childhood obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, affecting an estimated 22 million children under age 5. In the United States, one-third of children are either obese or at risk of becoming obese, according to a 2006 federal report, Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up?.
Between 2002 and 2004, the obesity rate for American children and teens increased from 16 percent to 17.1 percent and is expected to reach 20 percent by 2010, according to the report.
"All children and adolescents should engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week," said Karen A. Donato, coordinator of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Obesity Education Initiative. She was not part of the study.
"According to the U.S. dietary guidelines for Americans, regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, stroke, coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes," Donato said. "The National Institutes of Health has begun a national education program entitled We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) to provide parents and primary caregivers of children with important information and tips on ways to increase physical activity in children and youth, as well as to decrease screen time, and eat a nutritious diet."
More information
For more on childhood obesity, head to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( www.cdc.gov ).
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