Unhealthy Lifestyle of Teens Increases Risk of Heart Disease

The unhealthy lifestyle of American youngsters may contribute to a rise in the future rates of heart diseases in the country, a new study says.

Christina M. Shay from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and colleagues analyzed the cardiovascular health of adolescents in the U.S. They included nearly 4,700 adolescents aged between 12 and 19 years. All the participants were originally part of the National Health and Nutrition Surveys.

Cardiovascular health of the participants was determined by examining the prevalence of seven factors or habits included in the American Heart Association's guidelines, including smoking habit, healthy diet, physical activity, total cholesterol, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose and blood pressure.

Researchers found that half of the total participants did not possess at least five factors essential for maintaining a healthy heart. A majority of the participants (80 percent) reported a poor diet and only less than half of them met the physical activity levels recommended by health experts.

The findings come at a time when the country is struggling hard to fight against childhood obesity. According to the American Obesity Association, about 30.4 percent of teenagers are overweight and 15.5 percent of teens are obese.

"The far less-than-optimal physical activity levels and dietary intake of current U.S. teenagers, is translating into obesity and overweight that, in turn, is likely influencing worsening rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood glucose at these young ages," lead author of the study Shay said in a news release.

Concerned with the findings, researchers urged parents to take necessary steps to keep their children healthy. "The status of heart health during childhood has been shown to be a strong predictor of heart health in adulthood," Shay added. "Members of the medical and scientific community, parents, teachers and legislators all need to focus their efforts on the prevention and improvement of all aspects of cardiovascular health - particularly optimal physical activity levels and diet-as early in life as possible, beginning at birth."

The study is reported in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

Heart disease is one of the leading health problems in the United States. According to CDC, nearly 26.5 million American adults were affected with heart disease in 2011, and the disease claimed 597,689 lives in 2010.