Contents:
- Medical Video: Pregnancy Tips : How to Reduce High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
- Hypertension in children is as dangerous as adult hypertension
- So, how to prevent childhood hypertension?
- 1. Reduce salt
- 2. Limit calories
- 3. Reduce the time to watch TV
Medical Video: Pregnancy Tips : How to Reduce High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
If you think high blood pressure only occurs in adults, think again. Hypertension may occur in children and can also cause chronic illness in the future - even shortening his age. The number of cases of child hypertension is increasing from year to year. Many parents are not aware that there are various things that make the child at risk of experiencing hypertension. So, how to prevent hypertension in children?
Hypertension in children is as dangerous as adult hypertension
Most cases of childhood hypertension are influenced by the genetic ancestry of their parents. But if high blood pressure is first diagnosed when a child is more than 10 years old, chances are that this is influenced by the lifestyle of an unhealthy child. For example what he eats every day until the physical activity he does.
Hypertension that continues to be allowed to rise uncontrollably can cause serious complications, such as heart attacks and strokes. This complication does not escape the haunting of children who have hypertension. Moreover, just as in the case of adult high blood pressure, hypertension in children also contributes to the risk of premature death.
Maintaining a healthy child's diet and regular exercise can help them lose weight and blood pressure, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and improve their health now and in the future.
So, how to prevent childhood hypertension?
Actually, it's not difficult to avoid your child from this chronic health condition. Here are ways to prevent hypertension in children:
1. Reduce salt
For those of you who like to add too much salt to the cuisine, you should change these habits. Because, excessive salt consumption can increase the risk of hypertension in children.
Salt contains high sodium, a substance that makes blood pressure rise. Recent research shows that the risk of high blood pressure in children and adolescents has increased by 27% for 13 years, due to high consumption of sodium.
So, you should reduce the use of salt and provide food that you cook yourself for your little one, because you can find out the salt content used. Get used to eating fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, so that helps normalize blood pressure.
Not only in salt, sodium is also found in various packaged foods and beverages. Therefore, you should limit the provision of food and beverage packaging to your child. You also have to get used to reading food labels before buying them, so you can know the sodium content in these packaged foods or drinks.
The amount of sodium recommended a day should not be more than 1500 mg (including sodium from packaged foods and salt).
2. Limit calories
Obesity is one of the risk factors for childhood hypertension. If you want to prevent hypertension in your child, then keep his weight to stay normal. You can do this by limiting calories that are not too important. For example, snacks or sweet drinks that have high enough calories. Or before the little one likes itsnacking French fries, sweets, or other sweet foods.
Well, these types of foods that must be limited so that their weight is also under control. If your baby's body weight is normal, then his blood pressure will also tend to be normal. From now on, you can make healthy snacks for your little one. Of course with healthy ingredients and correct processing methods.
In addition to being cheaper, making your own healthy snacks will also make you more calm, because of the guaranteed nutritional content in it.
3. Reduce the time to watch TV
Research shows the relationship between watching TV and being overweight which causes high blood pressure. Data taken from the University of Michigan Health System study shows that more than 70% of children aged 8 to 18 have a habit of watching television for eight to twelve hours in one day.
Of course, this makes your child tend to be passive and can lead to obesity. Well, you have to limit the time when he is in front of the television screen. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the ideal duration of watching television is one hour for children under the age of 2 years and two hours if he has been over 2 years.
Instead of watching television, you can invite him to play and do outdoor activities, so that in a day he does physical activity. That way, you can prevent hypertension in children.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
