Primordial Prevention of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Using Lifestyle Medicine-Implementing Early Childhood Health Promotion

The link between modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in children and the development of disease in adulthood is becoming more evident. Rather than limiting the progression of existing risk factors, primordial prevention aims to prevent cardiovascular risk factors from appearing in the first place. Strategies for primordial prevention focus on the importance of a healthy diet and body mass index, sufficient physical activity, the absence of smoking, and recognition of factors, such as normal blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood glucose, for their importance on health over the life course of a child. The school shows promise as an ideal environment to implement primordial prevention strategies to increase children’s health literacy and empower them to make informed health decisions in the future. In this chapter, the importance of primordial prevention strategies and the relevance of early interventions in childhood are described. Key studies with recent school-based interventions and their respective methods of implementation, as well as challenges and future directions, are reviewed in detail.