Heart health |01 September 2017
On September 29, 2017, the world will celebrate ‘World Heart Day’ under the theme ‘Share the Power’. The Ministry of Health believes that it is never too early to start raising awareness about the various matters regarding cardiovascular diseases.
The World Heart Federation (WHF) states that cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in the world today, with over 17.5 million people dying from CVD every year. Any disease of the heart, vascular disease of the brain or disease of the blood vessel constitutes a CVD.
The most prevalent disease includes coronary heart disease, e.g. heart attack (responsible for 7.3 million of total CVD deaths) and cerebrovascular disease, e.g. stroke (responsible for 6.2 million of total CVD deaths).
The major risk behaviours that lead to these diseases are an important step in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. These risk behaviours are mainly related to lifestyles and include; physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, raised blood pressure/hypertension, tobacco use, cholesterol and obesity/overweight.
In Seychelles, the findings from a Seychelles Heart Survey study conducted in the population by the Ministry of Health for the period 1989 to 2013 on both men and women between the ages of 25 to 64 years are shown below:
- Combined overweight and obesity increased for men (from 28% to 57%) and women (from 51% to 72%).
- Prevalence of daily smokers was higher in men with 28.3%in 2013; overall, the prevalence of smoking decreased in both men (from 50.3 % to 28.3%) and women (9.8% to 5.2%) between 2004 and 2013.
- The prevalence of heavy drinking (≥5 drinks per day on average), was high in men with 11% in 2013.
- The amount of salad in plates was often very low; there was substantial intake of nutrient-poor and energy-rich food items, e.g. sugar drinks such as soft drinks and juices in packets, processed meat and salted/sweet snacks.
- The proportion of people reporting some physical activity at home or work in 2013 was still fairly high but around 20% of people reported to be sedentary.
- Age-adjusted prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) (treated or not) decreased over time; increased proportions of persons with normal BP without treatment over time.
According to the WHF, cardiovascular disease can be prevented by reducing and controlling the modifiable risk factors through a number of ways and this includes:
- Regular exercise: 30 minutes a day can make a difference.
- Avoid smoking or being in smoke-filled environments.
- Eat healthily: drink plenty of water instead of fruit juices and sugar drinks, eat fresh fruit/vegetables, whole-grains, lean meat/fish, legumes, beans and food that are low in saturated fats; avoid processed food, high levels of salt, sugar and alcohol.
- Maintain a healthy weight: keep track by using Body Mass Index (a measure of fat calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height squared in metres; a healthy adult should be between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m².
- Know your numbers: have your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked regularly.
- Know the warning signs:
- Heart attack: discomfort in chest or other areas of upper body; shortness of breath; cold sweats; nausea; lightheadedness.
- Stroke: Sudden numbness/weakness of face, arm or leg; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; sudden, severe headache with no known cause.
- Regularly take medications as prescribed by your doctor.
Remember even a small change in your lifestyle can make a powerful difference.