Childhood Development and Cardiovascular Disease

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Introduction

Cardiovascular diseases are not as prevalent among children as they are among adults; however, a number of factors that children are exposed to during their development predispose them to the diseases in adulthood. This report focuses on three major factors: unhealthy dietary patterns, passive smoking and traffic noise.

Multiple effects and interrelatedness of the factors that cause cardiovascular diseases

Microsystems

The ecological model of child development places the child in the middle of the analysis. Microsystems are made up of the narrowest contexts that affect the child. These encompass the immediate family members, peers, teachers and child care.

Traffic noise has been identified as one of the factors that may lead to the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Traffic noise tends to lead to vasoconstriction, which increases blood flow rates and eventually causes a rise in blood pressure. It also affects stress hormones thus indicating that this factor stimulates the endocrine systems. Traffic noise is particularly different from other kinds of noise that children may be exposed to because it disturbs their cognitive functions. Furthermore, it does interfere with mental tasks, sleep or other forms of relaxation (Di Nisi et al., 2001). Children may be exposed to traffic noises through a number of avenues, and these normally stem from entities in the microsystem. Their schools may be far from their homes, so they may need to travel long distances in order to get to school or back. This certainly exposes them to traffic noise. An analysis carried out by Regecova & Kellerova (2005) found that children who were exposed to high levels of traffic noise on their way to Kindergarten had much higher blood pressure than their counterparts who had fewer exposure levels. The latter group has readings of 60dBA while the former group had 70dBA. For young children, school location is an important determinant of their blood pressure levels. School choices are often made by their parents or guardians. Therefore, parents as members of the microsystems layer can affect children’s exposure to excessive traffic noise. Constant exposure to traffic noise leads to permanent prevalence of stress indicators like metabolic changes in blood pressure, cardiac output and others. This permanency eventually increases a child’s risk of getting cardiovascular diseases. Rising blood pressure levels in children are a crucial predictor of heart attacks and other heart related complications in children.

Dietary choices are also another risk factor that exposes children to cardiovascular diseases. The Mediterranean diet may not reduce heart diseases exclusively. However, it has been shown that when eaten by high-risk persons, then it will minimize their susceptibility to heart disease. High-risk populations include: people with high cholesterol levels or obese persons, physically inactive persons, diabetics, people who consume alcohol and smokers. Estruch et al. (2006) carried out an analysis of the effect of the Mediterranean diet on participants who had cardiovascular risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and were smokers. It was found that their blood pressure, sugar levels and cholesterol levels went down after a relatively short period; that is, three months. The same results were supported by Kim et al. (2005). They explained that when individuals adhered to the Mediterranean diet, moderated their alcohol use, and did not smoke, then they had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Failure to follow these patterns increased risks of heart disease deaths by 64%. Children who do not adhere to the Mediterranean diet have higher chances of accumulating fatty plaque in their bodies. In other words, unhealthy diets contribute to atherosclerosis and eventually manifest as heart disease in adults. This process is similar to the constriction of arteries that occurs when children are exposed to excessive traffic noise. Microsystems that may increase exposure to unhealthy diets include: parental food choices, peers’ food preferences and school staff decisions. School going children will eat whatever is served to them in school. If these are unhealthy, non-Mediterranean diets then chances are that their risk factors will go up. Parents who buy or prepare foods that are rich in saturated fats, unlike the Mediterranean diet, will expose their children to fat building. Children’s food choices are also affected by their peers. If they have a preference for fast foods, then they are likely to teach their colleagues to do the same.

Passive smoking is also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Metsios et al. (2011) explain that children have incompletely developed immune, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. This makes them highly vulnerable to passive smoke. Children’s vascular functions and the prevalence of lipoproteins are substantially altered by this risk factor. Eventually, their cardiovascular status is compromised. Iscan et al. (2006) carried out a cross sectional study among healthy children, and found that their total cholesterol levels and their low density lipoproteins were higher. This adversely increased their susceptibility to coronary diseases in adulthood. Parents or close relatives are the main source of passive source among children. Their habits will often continue to affect their children’s health.

Mesosystems layer

The mesosystems layer is composed of all those interactions between persons in the microsystem. When analyzing traffic noise as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, parents and schools often interact with one another in order to increase traffic noise exposure. Parents determine the schools that children attend hence their contact with these risk factors. The kinds of extracurricular activities that they engage in also have a huge role to play in determining these outcomes. If they need to attend certain sports or religious group meetings that are far from home, then they will need to spend more time in traffic, and this will heighten their exposure levels.

Unhealthy diet choices are often initiated by extended family members because they probably taught a child’s parents how to cook, or what to eat. Therefore, grandparents affect children’s exposure to this health risk. School heads have the ability to determine what menus are served in school cafeterias. Local industries also form part of the mesosystems layer. They contribute towards the prevalence of snack foods and other unhealthy meal choices.

The same thing can be said about parents who expose their children to passive smoke. They probably learnt this from their parents. Therefore, extended family members affect children through the habits they model to their own children.

Exosystems layer

The exosystem refers to the larger community that the child belongs to. Some of these include: the mass media, community health systems and extended families. If a child lives in a neighborhood where the community health systems are effective, then he or she will be protected from excessive traffic noise.

The mass media plays an important role in sensitizing children, their parents, teachers and other stakeholders about the importance of eating healthy foods. Through the internet, newspapers and television shows, these stakeholders can be informed about the Mediterranean diet and the importance of changing their dietary preferences. Most advertisements for snacks and unhealthy foods are targeted at children, and this causes them to take on that detrimental path. School boards also play a crucial role because they can make it mandatory for schools to offer healthy diet options to children. Local governments can also form bodies that are designed to increase awareness levels concerning children’s diets and their susceptibility to heart disease.

Dangers of passive smoke can be highlighted through the mass media and community health systems.

Macrosystems

Finally, a child is affected by the macrosystems layer, which is the outer layer in the ecological model of child development. This consists of the values, laws, attitudes and ideologies prevalent within certain cultures. Traffic noise as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases is often affected by the prevalence of noise laws and regulations in a certain community. A child’s health outcomes will therefore be altered by the lack of laws that minimize traffic noise. He or she will also be affected by the community’s attitude towards traffic noise. If motorists are not aware of the health implications of traffic noise, they will continue to keep perpetuating it, and this will affect children’s health negatively.

The fast-food culture is highly prevalent in western societies. Adults are too busy to cook for their children. Consequently, such children will grow up not knowing any other alternatives. Unless this culture is challenged, then more children will keep eating unhealthy foods, and this will increase their risk levels.

The same thing can be said about passive smoke, because it is a lifestyle issue. It is only by changing that lifestyle that children can be protected. Increased smoking prevalence within the country can be explained by the preference for short-term gratification. Many adults rarely think about the long-term implications of their actions, especially among their young children who may be victims of passive smoke. These short-term values have heightened children’s risk levels.

Two main exposures that may have led to a different outcome

One of these exposures is a smoke-free environment at home and a Mediterranean diet. The prevalence of a smoke free environment will lead to the presence of normal arteries. No constrictions will occur; furthermore, cholesterol and lipoprotein levels will remain normal. This will minimize the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in adults. The Mediterranean diet can offer protection against heart conditions because it is rich in healthy oils. This lifestyle change can contribute towards prevalence of good cholesterol in children’s blood. It can also minimize stress levels and thus lower blood pressure. Eventually, a different outcome will reported were the child will face a lower risk of developing coronary complications.

Conclusion

The three exposures examined were: poor dietary choices (non-Mediterranean diet), passive smoking and traffic noises. These factors increase children’s susceptibility to heart conditions by increasing their cholesterol levels, stress levels, restricting their arteries, or increasing their blood pressure. Eventually, such children will report greater prevalence of cardiovascular diseases as adults.

Choosing a Mediterranean diet and living in smoke-free environments can contribute to different health outcomes because it protects children against excessive cholesterol as well as minimizes stress levels.

References

DiNisi, J., Ehrhart, J., Muzet, A. & Liert, J. (2001). Comparison of cardiovascular responses to noise during waking and sleeping in humans. Sleep, 13, 108-120

Estruch, M., Martínez- González, D., Corella, J., Salas-Salvadó, V., Ruiz-Gutiérrez, M., Covas, M., Fiol, E., Gómez-Gracia, M., López-Sabater, E., Vinyoles, F., Arós, M., Conde, C., Lahoz, J., Lapetra, G., Sáez, H. and Ros, E. (2006). Effects of a Mediterranean-style diet on cardiovascular risk factors. Randomized trial. Annals of Internal medicine, 145, 1-11

Iscan, A., Uyanik, S., Vurgub, N., Ece, A. & Yigitoglu, M. (2006). Effects of passive exposure to tobacco, socioeconomic status and a family history of essential hypertension on lipid profiles in children. Japanese heart journal, 37(6), 917-923

Kim, T., Knoops, T., Lisette, C., DeGroot, M., Kromhout, D., Anne-Elisabeth, P., Olga, M., Alessandro, M. & Staveren, W. (2005). Mediterranean diet, lifestyle factors, and 10-year mortality in elderly European men and women. Journal of American Medical Association, 293(6), 674-675

Metsios, G., Flouris, A., Angioi, M. & Koutedakis, Y. (2011). Passive smoking and the development of cardiovascular disease in children: a systematic review. Cardiology research and practice, 7, 1-6

Regecova, V. & Kellerova, E. (2005). Effects of urban noise pollution on blood pressure and heart rate in preschool children. Journal of hypertension, 13, 405-412

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