LONDON : Spending over two hours a day in front of a television or computer can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure by 30 per cent in children, a new study conducted in eight European countries has warned.
For years now scientific literature has associated watching the television with a sedentary lifestyle and obesity in young people.
Researchers led by the Universities of Zaragoza (Spain) and Sao Paulo (Brazil) have found a relationship between this habit and a greater risk of developing high blood pressure.
The scientists studied data gathered over two years from 5,221 children in eight European countries (Spain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Cyprus, Estonia, Sweden and Belgium).
The kids were between 2 and 10 years old at the beginning of the study.
The results, published in the International Journal of Cardiology, show that the cumulative incidence of high blood pressure in this population during the two years analysed is high: 110 in 1,000.
“High blood pressure can cause cardiovascular problems later in life. For example, it increases the risk of ischemic heart disease,” Augusto Cesar F de Moraes, a Brazilian researcher and lead author of the study, told Scientific Information and News Service (SINC).
The researchers said that children who are sedentary for more than two hours a day, in front of the television, computers or videoconsoles, run a 30 per cent greater risk of developing high blood pressure.
“The figures are worrying, given that sedentary behaviours are common in infancy and subsequently, later in life,” the researchers said.
Experts recommend that young people carry out physical activity for more than 60 minutes a day, and advise that sedentary activities last no longer than two hours a day.
The researchers have also observed that not doing an hour of physical activity a day increases the risk of high blood pressure by 50 per cent.
“Scientific evidence indicates that physical activity is a powerful vasodilator. Therefore, the rate of oxygenation of the heart increases, and at the same time, decreases arterial pressure,” said de Moraes. (AGENCIES)
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