By: Katie Harrison
 
Preschoolers are ready for development. We know to help them develop their math skills by counting. We know how to help develop their language skills by talking and reading to them. And now we know that we can help develop their heart-healthy lifestyle habits as young as age three, too.

A new study out of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC reports that children as young as age three, who are taught heart-healthy lifestyle habits, are more knowledgeable about diet, exercise, managing their emotions, and understanding their bodies than children who aren’t. And their family can play a big role in their development.

The researchers focused on more than 2,000 children, aged three to five years, attending schools in Madrid. The children were introduced to heart-healthy lifestyle programs. The researchers focused on explaining heart-healthy diets, exercise, managing emotions, and understanding your body. They also offered the children take-home activities to work on with their families.

The researchers continued their work with these children for three years. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the children in their study had better knowledge about healthy lifestyle habits, and that they were less likely to be overweight or obese than children who were not involved in the study. Having parents who were also knowledgeable, via the at-home lessons, is also credited for the difference researchers saw with these children over the others.

It is never too early to start feeding heart-healthy lifestyle information to nieces and nephews. And being a knowledgeable and heart-healthy a role model will help, too.

Photo: famveldman
Published: October 6, 2015