News Release from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation

The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation reported information from the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, that took place this past week in Edmonton. The Congress was hosted by the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and it is a forum to showcase Canada's best research.

Dr. Brian McCrindle, a cardiologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto was among the list of presenters. Dr. McCrindle presented information on a seven-year ongoing study examining the heart health of over 20,000 Canadian grade 9 students, aged 14-15 years, living in the Niagara region (Ontario, Canada).

Results from the study show that one in five young teens has high blood pressure and that the rate of high cholesterol and obesity in these teens was increasing over time. "This study is further evidence of an accelerating decline in the heart health of Canada's teens," says Dr. McCrindle.

Dr. Beth Abramson, spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation goes on to state, "With changing technologies, we need to exercise our bodies more than our brains. Over 50 per cent of Canadian children between the ages of five and 17 aren't active enough to support optimal health and development - and over a quarter of our children and youth are overweight or obese."

If you needed a reason to get your students active and passionate about healthy active living, let them know about this statistic and see if that provides any further motivation to get moving and eating right! Read the press release to learn more about this study.