Sunday
was World Heart Day. The World Heart Federation and its member groups in more
than one hundred countries organized the celebrations. The World Health
Organization and other United Nations agencies provided support for the
{{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}. World Heart Day
was first observed six years {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}.
Organizers proposed the event as a way to help reduce the spread of heart
disease. The World Heart Federation says heart {{U}} {{U}} 3
{{/U}} {{/U}}kills seven-teen million people each year. The
group urges people to be active and have a good, healthy diet. It also warns
{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}activities known to increase a
person's risk of heart attack or stroke. Some of the warnings
are directed at children. The World Heart Federation says about twenty-two
million boys and girls under the age of five are obese-severely
overweight. Children are normally energetic and active.
{{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}, two thirds of all children are not
active enough. Such children greatly {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}}
{{/U}}their risk of becoming obese. They also increase their {{U}} {{U}}
7 {{/U}} {{/U}}of developing heart disease or other disorders.
One message of World Heart Day is to eat right. Children {{U}}
{{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}eat a healthy and balanced diet. Also, limit
sugary drinks, sweets and eating between meals. The World Heart
Federation urges parents to keep their children {{U}} {{U}} 9
{{/U}} {{/U}}. It says physical exercise helps to decrease the risk of obesity
and {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}a child healthy. Obese children
often become obese adults. {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}you
believe your child is too heavy, talk with a health care provider.
The World Heart Federation is also concerned about the effects of tobacco
on young people. It says the younger someone begins to smoke, the {{U}}
{{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}the chance of a health problem tied to
smoking. Half of the young people who continue to smoke are {{U}} {{U}}
13 {{/U}} {{/U}}to die later in life from a smoking-related
disease. The group says almost half of all children live with a
smoker. It says children who live with a {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}}
{{/U}}can breathe an amount of tobacco equal to more than two thousand cigarettes.
And that is by the time they are five years old. The World
Heart Federation also says parents should warn children not to be {{U}}
{{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}by tobacco companies. And it says parents who
smoke should try to stop.