World Heart Day 2023: Why It is Important to Take Care of Heart Health
Nearly half (48%) of these cardiovascular disease-related deaths occurred prematurely, affecting people aged 30 to 70, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Every September 29, World Heart Day is commemorated with the purpose that governments and health organizations join the global call to raise awareness about heart health and accelerate actions to prevent, detect and control cardiovascular diseases.
As explained by the World Health Organization (WHO) on its website, the organization’s Southeast Asia Region is home to a quarter of the world’s population. The region is experiencing a very high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are responsible for 3.9 million deaths annually, accounting for 30% of all deaths.
According to the WHO, it is alarming that almost half (48%) of these cardiovascular disease-related deaths occurred prematurely, affecting people aged 30 to 70 years and imposing significant socioeconomic burdens on families, communities, and countries.
“Modifiable risk factors for heart disease include smoking, drinking alcohol, poor diet, particularly high salt intake, and lack of physical activity,” they highlight.
Also Read: Work Stress Can Increase Men’s Risk of Heart Disease, According to A New Study
Triggering Factors
High blood pressure and high blood sugar are key factors and can be detected, diagnosed and treated appropriately in primary care. One in four adults in the region has high blood pressure, while one in ten has diabetes and less than 15% have effective treatment coverage.
Furthermore, elevated blood lipid levels and suboptimal treatment of acute cardiovascular events further worsen CVD mortality.
In response to this important public health importance, NCDs have been identified as a regional flagship priority since 2014. In 2022, the region adopted the ‘Implementation Roadmap to Accelerate NCD Prevention and Control in the Southeast Asian 2022-2030‘.
The prevalence of tobacco consumption in the region is decreasing due to the implementation of measures of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand have taken steps to reduce trans fatty acids from their national food supplies, which could benefit more than 1.7 billion people.
Accelerating the control of cardiovascular diseases is a priority and the WHO South-East Asia Region calls for action in four key areas:
First, countries must put cardiovascular diseases high on their agenda and scale up their efforts through commitment and leadership at both the political and programmatic levels.
Secondly, continue to implement evidence-based tobacco control laws in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its MPOWER package in all countries.
Third, promote healthy diets with a specific focus on salt reduction and the elimination of trans fatty acids through the implementation of WHO SHAKE and WHO REPLACE technical packages.
Fourth, expand programs and service delivery models that improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension and diabetes in primary care through referral mechanisms.
