Too much internet may cause high blood pressure in teens
Teens who spend too much time on the internet are at risk for high blood pressure, according to researchers from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Researchers suggest that parents should limit their kids’ internet time at home to two hours a day for five days.
In a study published in the Journal of School Nursing, researchers define heavy internet use as spending 25 hours per week online. But the study found that even teens who spent at least 14 hours a week on the Internet had elevated blood pressure. Of 134 teens described by researchers as heavy Internet users, 26 had elevated blood pressure.
Andrea Cassidy-Bushrow, Ph.D., MPH, a researcher at Henry Ford’s Department of Public Health Sciences and the study’s lead author, says the take-home message for teens and parents is moderation.
Dr. Cassidy-Bushrow says the findings provide valuable information for school nurses for monitoring the health of students. “School nurses could conduct annual health screenings where blood pressure and Internet use behaviors could be assessed. Students with an elevated blood pressure would then have a follow-up visit to determine next steps.”
Researchers analyzed data compiled from 335 teens ages 14-17 enrolled in the study including a blood pressure reading taken during a physical exam. Participants also completed a 55-question survey of their Internet use during the week leading up to their physical exam. Questions ranged from how they spent their time on the Internet and their number of email addresses to time spent on the Internet daily and for what purpose.
For their study, researchers defined Internet use as visiting web sites, emailing, instant messaging, playing games, doing homework, shopping, downloading software and creating or maintaining webpages.
Category: Features, Health alert
