Health experts of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) recently called on parents to educate their children on proper eating habits to avoid cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

Experts argued that salty, fatty, and high cholesterol foods cause obesity which, in turn, triggers the development of hypertension and heart disease.

The Department of Health (DoH) lists CVD as the number one cause of morbidity among Filipino adults.

"We must educate our children that there are other types of food that are healthier than the ones that are readily available. We must make them aware of the benefits of eating fruits, and drinking juices," Dr. Rhodora de Leon, President of Philippine Society of Pediatric Cardiology said.

She reiterated the importance of a health diet and regular physical activity to avoid obesity.

"Unlike before, children these days don’t play vigorously anymore. They just stay at home and watch TV or play videogames. There is a trend of diminishing physical activity among the kids now," she added.

The experts also mentioned the role of smoking as a precursor to developing heart disease.

They agreed on a massive information campaign that would widely discuss the ill effects of smoking especially on teenagers.

Dr. Edison Ty, chairperson of PHA council on rheumatic heart diseases said that chubby kids are no longer considered cute and healthy.

He said that obese parents are likely to produce obese children as well. Therefore, proper eating habits should start from parents.

He added that children should be taught early about the benefits of a good diet. "10 to 20 years from now, cardiologists would have more patients because more people would have heart diseases. Imagine the cost of medication that would be spent for that. It is not too late to educate our children to avoid this scenario."

The PHA celebrates World Heart Day this month, with focus on heart diseases among children and adolescents.