PARTICIPATION in preschool programmes have been linked to cardiovascular health later in life in a recent study. Researcher Arthur Reynolds, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA, and his team reported that education is the leading social determinant of health, and recommend that paediatricians and other healthcare workers should pay attention to education in young patients.
Data was collected from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, which tracked 989 children, aged 3–4 years, who took part in the Child-Parent Centers (CPC) programme, which provides comprehensive educational and family support to those who need it, from 1983–1985. In order to compare the results later in life, the team also collected data from a group of 550 children who did not attend CPC preschools, but partook in normal education programmes instead. The team used Ideal Cardiovascular Health Index (iCVH) scores, the sum of seven positive, alterable cardiometabolic indicators and health behaviours that predict long-term well-being.
Reynolds and his colleagues received 1,124 completed surveys from these children, and completed scores for 1,042 (690 in the CPC group, and 352 non-CPC). The average score amongst these children was 4.05, with 27.9% of participants having a score of three or lower, while 29.7% had a score of five or greater. The mean score amongst those who attended CPC programmes was 4.06 compared with a median score of 3.89 in the non-CPC group. According to the researchers, these findings support previous literature surrounding early education and health.
The team plan to follow the cohort through to midlife in order to analyse whether there are different rates of cardiovascular disease as well as lifestyle behaviours between the groups. They concluded, however, that education in early life does impact cardiovascular health later in life. Reynolds concluded that addressing the needs of the family “is very important for paediatricians and health professional to do. Working with schools and having health services in schools is also important.”
