Prevention of adult heart disease beginning in childhood: intervention programs

Multiple strategies are available to affect children's cardiovascular health. From clinic-based high-risk counseling to broad-based school or community programs, intervention strategies are being developed and tested to find the most effective means of changing the risk factors of youth to assure a healthier future for our children. Since adoption of new behaviors is improved by consistent messages from multiple sources, a concerted effort is needed. The involvement of health professionals, educators, community organizations, industry, and government together will be important to support the adoption of healthy lifestyles for succeeding generations. Intervention through cardiovascular health promotion for school children may well be the future direction for preventive cardiology.