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Left-Behind Children in Parental Migration Are Susceptible To Cardiovascular Disease

Jinkui Lu1,, Xiaojian Yin1, Lihong Mao2

1Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention, Ministry of Education, School of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

2Department of Physical Education, Jingganshan University, Ji'an, China

Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2014, 2(3), 96-100. DOI: 10.12691/jfnr-2-3-1
Published online: August 25, 2017

Abstract

Objective: Left-behind children are rural children below 18 years of age who are left at home by their migrating parents. Although developmental, emotional and social problems have been reported on these left-behind children, No studies to date have been performed to examine the susceptibility of these left-behind children to cardiovascular disease. Methods: 2457 rural children, among whom 1212 are left-behind children by their migrant peasant worker parents and 1245 are not left-behind children as a control group, were recruited to examine the characteristics of left-behind children for their differences in heart rate and blood pressure from not left-behind children. Results: The heart rate and blood pressure of the left-behind children were significantly higher than those in the control not left-behind children. Conclusions: Childhood loneliness, dissatisfaction and anxiety may augment the burden or load on the cardiovascular system of the left-behind children, which may increase their susceptibility to development of cardiovascular disease in later life.

Keywords:

left-behind children, parental migration, cardiac vascular diseases
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