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Like with any profession, it is important for healthcare professionals and first responders to keep up with current trends and research related to their field. In the past year, researchers have released several studies revealing important heart disease statistics. 2012 data is also a helpful resource for individuals working in the healthcare field to prepare for what’s to come in the next year. Here are three studies that uncovered heart disease trends to watch out for.

National report shows rise in obesity, heart disease trends

Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released their annual report, titled F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012, which measured the current state of health in the United States and made predictions for the future. The report highlights some startling heart disease statistics. 2012 rates for obesity in the United States are at an all-time high, which may lead to more health problems for Americans and higher national health costs.

According to the report, if the rate of obesity continues on its current path, 13 states could have adult obesity rates over 60 percent, 39 states could have rates over 50 percent, and all 50 states could have rates over 44 percent by the year 2030. These projected obesity rates could lead to approximately 5 million cases of coronary heart disease and stroke over the next 20 years.

The report also details how the United States can fight obesity in order to reduce the occurrence of co-morbidities like heart disease and stroke. According to the report, if BMIs were lowered, the number of U.S. residents who could avoid succumbing to coronary heart disease and stroke could range from 11,889 in Alaska to 656,970 in California.

Early menopause may put women at higher risk for heart disease

A 2012 study from John Hopkins Medicine found that women who experience early menopause have twice the risk of developing heart disease as compared to other women. According to the researchers, these findings were true among different ethnic backgrounds and were independent of traditional heart disease and stroke risk factors.

The study followed 2,500 women over the course of eight years. During that time, 20 percent of the women experienced a heart attack and 15 percent of the women experienced a stroke. The overall number of women who suffered from stroke or heart attack was relatively small, but it still shows a potential risk.

The researchers emphasized that while the study confirms an association between early menopause and heart disease risk, there is not necessarily a cause-and-effect connection between the two.

Overweight and obese children at higher risk for heart disease

It is also important to make note of 2012 childhood heart disease trends that were discovered in research. Scientists from the University of Oxford conducted a study in order to determine whether body mass index (BMI) influences school-aged children’s risk for heart disease. Their findings confirmed that overweight and obese children are indeed at a higher risk.

The study included 49,220 healthy children ages 5-15 from developed countries. Researchers measured participants’ blood pressure, blood lipids, cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Children in BMI categories outside the normal range had higher blood pressure and cholesterol readings. Obese participants (but not overweight participants) additionally showed a higher insulin resistance.

While previous studies have shown that overweight and obese children have a higher risk for heart disease, this study suggests that the risk may be higher than previously thought.

Source: http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4759

Healthcare professionals, first responders and other individuals looking for more information on current health trends and healthcare education can visit www.HealthEdSolutions.com to access articles from the online research library. Health Ed Solutions is a leading provider of online courses for healthcare certification, with offerings that include advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), pediatric advanced life support (PALS), and basic life support (BLS) courses, as well as first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.