Children who grow up in a happy environment have a reduced risk of heart attack by the time they reach adulthood, a small Finnish study found.
The researchers at the University of Turku wanted to examine the link between heart attack risk and early exposure to psychosocial factors within a household. They looked at data on 311 children who were from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study and assessed these factors in relation to the amount of calcium deposits that had amassed in the participants' arteries 28 years later when they were about 40 to 46 years old. Calcium deposits, measured using computed tomography (CT) scans, can cause blood vessels to narrow and clog, which increases risk of a heart attack.
The Finnish study measured psychosocial factors, which included any social, emotional and financial problems, when the children were 12 years old and up to when they had reached 18. Information included the parents' income, education level, physical activity level, employment status and mental health, as well as any signs of aggression and antisocial behaviors in the children. The researchers also recorded any huge stressful events, such as a divorce.
The researchers found that children who had higher psychosocial well-being growing up were 15 percent less likely to have clogged arteries in adulthood. Overall, about 18 percent of the participants had some level of calcification in their vessels.
"This study suggests that childhood psychosocial factors may have long-term consequences on cardiovascular health," said Markus Juonala, the lead author of the study which was published in JAMA Pediatrics,
The researchers pointed out that although they did not find a cause-and-effect relationship, since stress can increase inflammation, which is not beneficial for physical health, parents should still try to reduce the amount of stress for their children.
"Our findings underscore the need for increased awareness of promoting positive psychosocial health in childhood," the authors wrote. "Because data on many of the factors used in the summative score could be readily gathered at diverse health service encounters, these data might be used in targeted family interventions for primary prevention, especially in those at greatest risk."
Stephen Daniels of Children's Hospital Colorado, who was not involved with the study, commented that even though the study's findings are important, implementing intervention and prevention programs within a home can be very difficult, especially for research purposes.
