As of: March 2, 2024, 7:00 p.m
By: Laura Knops
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Many children sit in front of the screen for a long time and don't move enough.
This can also affect heart health.
From the school desk to the couch: Contrary to urgent recommendations from the
World Health Organization (WHO),
children and young people these days do not move enough.
Around four out of five children do not get the 60 minutes of exercise a day recommended by doctors and health experts.
Instead of having fun and games in their free time, most children prefer to sit in front of the computer or cell phone.
The result: The risk of various illnesses later in life increases significantly.
According to researchers at the
University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio,
a lack of exercise in early life can have a long-term impact on heart health.
The results of their study were presented at the
European Society of Cardiology
Congress .
Heavy heart: Too little exercise causes the heart to “thicken”
According to researchers, children are spending more and more time in front of the television.
The heart suffers from this even at a young age.
© Valentina Barreto/Imago
The team led by study author Andrew Agbaje found that a lack of exercise in childhood significantly influences the risk of heart attacks and strokes later in life.
A thickening of the heart is responsible for this.
The longer children spend sitting, the more the so-called left ventricular mass increases.
The tissue of the heart muscle in the left ventricle therefore enlarges.
The result: The heart can no longer work as usual and its performance decreases.
“All those hours young people spend in front of screens add up and lead to a heavier heart, which we know from studies in adults increases the risk of heart attack and stroke,” explains Andrew Agbaje.
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As part of the “Children of the 90s Study”, which has been one of the world's largest cohorts for lifestyle data since 1990, the scientists analyzed the children's behavior and their daily amount of exercise.
A smartwatch was used to examine for seven days how long the children actually spend sitting per day.
The activity tracker was used for one week at the ages of eleven, 17 and 24.
To examine the extent of cardiac enlargement, left ventricular ultrasound was performed at ages 17 and 24 years.
“Children and young people need to move more”
The results of the study show:
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Of the 766 children examined, 11-year-olds spent an average of around 362 minutes sitting every day
By the age of 15, this time had already increased to 474 minutes
At age 24, the average time spent sitting was 531 minutes
As the researchers suspected, as the time spent sitting increased, the mass of the left ventricle also increased.
“The children spent more than six hours a day sitting, and this number had increased by almost three hours by the time they reached young adulthood.
Our study shows that the accumulation of inactive time is associated with damage to the heart, independent of body weight and blood pressure,” explains Andrew Agbaje in a press release.
A study in adults also showed that a similar increase in left ventricular mass over a seven-year period was associated with a twofold increased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and death.
“Children and young people need to move more to protect their health in the long term,” say the researchers.
Parents should encourage their children to put their smartphones away more often and instead spend more time doing sports.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.