Exercise Programs for Children: A Way to Prevent Heart Disease?

In brief Physical activity patterns of 59 children were determined by recording heart rates before and during an exercise intervention program for coronary heart disease risk. Twenty-six children engaged in 25-minute aerobic activity sessions four days a week for eight months; the control group took regular physical education classes. Baseline data revealed that both groups had similar activity patterns, that the children seldom attained a heart rate greater than 160 beats min^-1, and that the boys expended significantly more energy per day than the girls. The activity patterns of children in the experimental group improved significantly.