Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Couch Potato Kids Putting Their Heart in Serious Danger Later in Life

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

Being a couch potato as a kid could put your heart in serious danger later in life. A new study warns that children who lead a sedentary lifestyle are more likely to experience strokes or heart attacks in their later years.

The research revealed that children who lack physical activity are at a higher risk of developing high cholesterol in their early adulthood, leading to heart health complications by their mid-40s. It has been previously established that high cholesterol levels in childhood are linked to early indicators of heart disease in one’s mid-20s and a heightened risk of premature cardiovascular mortality in the mid-40s.

Numerous clinical trials focused on reducing cholesterol levels in the young have shown little to no success, according to Finnish researchers.

Dr. Andrew Agbaje, an award-winning physician and pediatric clinical epidemiologist at the University of Eastern Finland, said that engaging in light-intensity physical activities from childhood is five to eight times more effective in reversing the negative impact of a sedentary lifestyle on high cholesterol than moderate-to-vigorous activities. The study involved analyzing activity tracker data and repeated cholesterol measurements in English children starting at the age of 11 and following up with them for 13 years. The researchers observed an increase in sedentary behavior from about six hours per day in childhood to nine hours per day in young adulthood. This increase accounted for nearly 70 percent of the overall rise in cholesterol levels.

Conversely, light physical activity decreased from six hours per day in childhood to three hours in young adulthood. Despite this decrease, it was still cumulatively linked to lower total cholesterol levels. The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, also found that an increase in total body fat slightly mitigated the positive effects of light physical activity on cholesterol levels.

Dr. Agbaje noted that increased total body fat significantly lessened the benefits of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in reducing cholesterol.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/couch-potato-kids-heart-health/

Teen Concussion Tied to Higher Risk for Suicidal Behaviors

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

Adolescents who report concussion have increased odds of reporting suicidal behaviors, according to a study published in the Journal of Athletic Training.

Jacob J.M. Kay, Ph.D., from Prisma Health Children's Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, and colleagues examined the association between self-reported concussion frequency and nonfatal suicidal behaviors among youth. The analysis included data from 28,442 U.S. secondary school students participating in the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

The researchers found that students who reported two or more concussions had significantly greater odds of reporting suicidal attempts (adjusted odds ratio, 2.03) versus students reporting a single concussive event during the previous 12 months. There were interactions observed by sex, with the association driven by boys. Among girls, there was no difference in the strength of association by number of concussions.

"Future longitudinal examinations are necessary to better understand the possible cumulative effects of concussion on adolescent mental health and promote the development of earlier prevention strategies aimed at mitigating the link between concussive injury and potentially fatal risk behaviors," the authors write. "As such, schools would benefit from implementing regular mental health assessments and interventions to help students avoid feelings of depression and suicidality after concussion."

Source: HealthDay
https://www.healthday.com/healthpro-news/mental-health/teen-concussion-tied-to-higher-risk-for-suicidal-behaviors