HHS HealthBeat (December 11, 2007)

Active kids, good blood pressure

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Parents probably won’t tell their kids, ``Get out and play an hour a day because it’s good for your blood pressure.’’ But researchers say more active kids tend to have lower blood pressure.

The researchers checked blood pressure in British 11- and 12-year-olds who also wore devices that measured how active the kids were.

Steve Blair of the University of South Carolina worked on the study:

``It was the total amount of activity they got, the kids who moved around more tended to have lower blood pressure. And it was pretty much the same in the boys and the girls.’’  (9 seconds)

It’s important because blood pressure tracks across a person’s life – so if you’re low in childhood, your readings probably won’t top the charts in adulthood.

The study in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May, 26 2008