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Can Tennessee Health Insurance Reduce The Occurrence Of Heart Disease In Future Generations?

By Wiley Long

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 20Mar2012 Word count: 641 Viewed: 80 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

According to research conducted by Northwestern University, adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 are at risk of dying from heart disease at a younger age than their parents. Those adolescents are likely to have health problems in their 30s or 40s. However, adults are not likely to face similar problems until their 50s or 60s.

Heart disease does not just develop overnight. It takes years before symptoms even start to manifest. This made scientists conclude that precipitating factors of heart problems are now developing during childhood. When you have a Tennessee health insurance plan, factors contributing to the development of the disease and your cardiovascular health status can easily be monitored.

Tennessee Health Insurance Provides Preventive Care

Health professionals were able to determine risk factors among young adults that can help contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. Seven factors are utilized to check a person's cardiovascular health. Usually, these can be identified by conducting annual physical exams.

There are certain Tennessee health insurance plans offering full coverage for preventive care services with no out-of-pocket costs from in-network healthcare providers. However, waivers may be issued to permit limited-benefit health plans to continue to be offered until 2014. This is when the state based health insurance exchange is said to be fully implemented. Preventive care services include annual physical exams and other services to prevent or delay the occurrence of heart diseases and other health conditions.

Seven Factors To Help Assess Cardiovascular Health

Check blood glucose. Many teens out of the 5,547 evaluated in the Northwestern study have high blood glucose levels. More than 30 percent of the boys and forty percent of the girls were afflicted with that problem. According to John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, high blood sugar is usually linked with diabetes. Lowering blood glucose levels can greatly decrease the risk of coronary heart disease even if you have diabetes or not.

Check body mass index. Body mass index is used to determine if a person is overweight or clinically obese. Thirty-five percent of the adolescents included in the study were obese. When you are overweight, the heart works harder which could lead to high blood pressure, increase bad cholesterol and it lowers the good cholesterol in the body as stated by the American Heart Association.

Monitor cholesterol levels. LDL (bad cholesterol) is a predisposing factor in heart attacks and coronary artery blockage. On the other hand, HDL (good cholesterol) is the one that helps prevent your arteries from clogging. A blood test called lipid panel can be performed to check the total cholesterol (HDL, LDL and triglycerides) present in your body. Diet and lifestyle changes can help lower LDL and triglyceride levels which in turn reduces your risk of heart problems.

Watch your diet. Teenagers usually have poor diets according to scientists. They love to eat junk food and sweets while neglecting fruits and vegetables. With the right nutrition and a balanced diet, deadly heart diseases could be reversed.

Engage in physical activity. Living a sedentary lifestyle increases your likelihood to develop heart conditions. Fifty-two percent of the boys and only 38 percent of the girls were exercising regularly.

Avoid Smoking. The major predisposing factor of developing clogs in your arteries is smoking. In the U.S., a total of 3,600 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 start smoking every day, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Monitor blood pressure levels. High blood pressure levels can damage the heart in the long run. Checking your blood pressure once in a while can help.

What once was only an adult problem is now faced by adolescents as well. Luckily, with the help of preventive care offered by your health insurance in Tennessee, you can decrease the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases.

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