Parents urged to keep children away from fast food

Medical experts have urged parents to discourage the growing consumption of fast food among children, warning that unhealthy dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles are contributing to the rising burden of cardiovascular and other diseases among younger generations in Pakistan. The experts expressed these views while addressing a medical camp organised in collaboration with Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) at the Karachi Press Club. Various medical tests, including echocardiograms and electrocardiograms (ECGs), were also conducted during the camp. Dr Javaid A. Khan, Professor of Pulmonology at Aga Khan University Hospital, emphasised that regular physical activity, a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle were essential for preventing cardiovascular and other diseases. He stressed the need to discourage young people from consuming fast food and encouraged greater intake of vegetables and other nutritious foods. He said lifestyle modifications are urgently needed and that regular physical activity could help lower the risk of several diseases. Dr Khan also urged people to avoid smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption, stressing that tobacco use posed serious health risks and that preventive measures could significantly reduce the likelihood of tobacco-related illnesses. Dr Yawer Saeed, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, said cardiovascular diseases were increasingly assuming epidemic proportions in Pakistan and across Asia. He noted that heart attacks had also become more common among younger people over approximately the past decade.