An Early Start...

Beginning heart health at a young age is becoming increasingly important now that childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Obesity and lack of exercise are two of the main triggers for heart problems. In fact, in a "population based sample of 5- to17- year olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease."

Since these two issues clearly go hand in hand, how can we get kids to care about them and take action? This interactive quiz gives children a starting point from which to assess their lifestyle and knowledge. And this informational page provides kids with all the basics--and even gives them an option to listen to the article in case they can't read all of the medical jargon!

So sit down with your kids and get them involved. 30 minutes of knowledge today could mean 10 more years of life in the future.

Joanna