NHLBI Media Availability: Overweight Girls at Risk for
Cardiovascular Disease
New results from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) Growth and Health Study suggest that girls as young as age
9 who are overweight are at increased risk for short-term and long-term
problems that increase the chances of developing cardiovascular
disease. More than 2,300 girls ages 9 and 10 were enrolled in the
study and followed for more than 10 years. Researchers measured
participants' height, weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol annually
through age 18, and obtained self-reported measures at ages 21 to
23.
“Childhood Overweight and Cardiovascular Disease
Risk Factors: The National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute Growth
and Health Study,” will be published in the January
issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. The study was funded
by NHLBI, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, all components
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Researchers found that the girls were more than 1.6 times more
likely to become overweight during ages 9 to 12 years than in later
adolescence. Importantly, those who were overweight were more likely
to have elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels compared
to girls who were not overweight. In addition, girls who were overweight
during childhood were 11 to 30 times more likely than non-overweight
girls to be obese in young adulthood (ages 21 to 23).
The study also provides insight into differences between African-American
and Caucasian girls. Black girls were 1.5 times more likely to become
overweight at any given age than white girls. In addition, from
ages 9 through 18, the prevalence of overweight was greater among
black girls (from 17 percent to 24 percent), compared to white girls
(7 percent to 10 percent).
An NHLBI spokesperson is available to comment on the study’s
findings, which highlight the importance of helping children adopt
behaviors to maintain a healthy weight and prevent overweight as
early as ages 9 through 12. NIH has a national educational program
for families and communities that addresses this need. Called We
Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition),
the program offers helpful resources and evidence-based curricula
for community programs targeting children ages 8 to 13 years and
their parents or primary caregivers. More than 125 communities in
over 34 states are now implementing We Can!
programs. Karen Donato, program coordinator for We Can!
and for NHLBI's Obesity Education Initiative, is available to discuss
the program and other issues related to childhood obesity. More
information is also available at http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov.
To schedule interviews, contact the NHLBI Communications Office
at 301-496-4236.
Resources:
- We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition),
http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov
- Metabolic Syndrome in Girls (November 7, 2005, news release),
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/new/press/05-11-07.htm
- Decline in Physical Activity Plays Key Role in Weight Gain Among
Adolescent Girls (July 14, 2005, news release), http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/new/press/05-07-14.htm
- "What We Know about Obesity Development During Adolescence:
Findings from the NHLBI Growth and Health Study," presented
at Predictors of Obesity, Weight Gain, Diet, and Physical Activity
Workshop, Bethesda, MD, August 4-5, 2004, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/workshops/predictors/abstracts/kimm2.htm
- NHLBI Growth and Health Study (NGHS), http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/deca/descriptions/nghs.htm
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports
research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders.
The Institute also administers national health education campaigns
on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other
topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online
at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers
and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates
the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.
For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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