Plan activities with family or friends, since it is more fun to play with others. Limit the amount of time your child spends watching TV or playing on the computer to less than 2 hours per day. Instead, encourage your child to go out to the playground, park, pool, or gym. In addition, find out what types of organized exercise or sport programs are available through the community and school. Do not smoke In spite of volumes of evidence that smoking is unhealthy, more young people are picking up the habit.
Most people know that smoking causes lung cancer.
But they may not realize that smoking also significantly increases their risk for cardiovascular disease. Scientists have discovered that smoking speeds up hardening of the arteries, a condition that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Even living with a smoker nearly doubles the risk of heart disease for children. Parents should discourage their kids from smoking and should quit themselves. TMA and the physicians of Texas are working to educate patients about these five risk factors and decrease the number of Texans who develop and die from cardiovascular disease each year.