Children & youth
A healthy heart is vital for living life to the full, regardless of age and gender. Unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and smoking are the leading causes of heart disease and stroke. The unhealthy lifestyles that lead to cardiovascular disease often begin in childhood and adolescence, so that prevention of heart disease must begin there. The World Heart Federation works to prevent tobacco use and promote healthy diets and physical activity among children and youth.
Sesame Workshop
The World Heart Federation is very proud to partner with Sesame Workshop on its international ”Healthy Habits for Life” initiative, a comprehensive effort to use multimedia to help young children and their parents live healthier lives. Learn more about the project promoting healthy diets and physical activity among children in Colombia.
Youth for health
To help its member network become more involved in youth activism on health, the World Heart Federation supported the First Global Youth Meet (Gym 2006) and sponsored the attendance of teams from 8 of its member organizations. Youth leaders from around the world attended the meeting, which was organized in India by HRIDAY-SHAN. They formed the Youth for Health (Y4H) movement to promote healthy lifestyles and advocate for health-promoting policies. Learn more about the Global Youth Meet and youth health advocacy.
Rheumatic heart disease
Rheumatic heart disease is the leading heart problem among children, adolescents and young adults in developing countries. It causes young people to develop heart failure, and many eventually die from the disease or require heart surgery, which is often not available or affordable in the countries where the disease is most common. Learn more about World Heart Federation activities aimed at preventing rheumatic heart disease and the recurrences of rheumatic fever that cause it.