World Heart Day was created by the World Heart Federation on September 29, 1999 to inform people around the globe that cardiovascular disease (which includes heart diseases and brain strokes) is the world’s leading cause of death claiming many lives each year.
Significance
The day aims to highlight the actions that individuals can take to prevent and control cardiovascular diseases. It aims to educate people and drive action towards controlling the risk factors. If certain actions are kept in control, majority of premature deaths from heart related disease could be avoided.
Since the first World Heart Day, World Heart Federation has continued to sponsor this annual event assembling and distributing information and declaring a theme for the day each year. The information is communicated through public talks, podcasts, posters, and leaflets. In conjunction to the World Heart Day, there are free health checks, runs, walks, concerts, fund raising and various other events that are held. Scientific meetings and gatherings are also held on this day.
World Heart Day is a campaign where communities, families, individuals, and government participates in activities to take charge of their heart health and spread awareness about the same to others around them. Through this campaign people from various backgrounds and countries unite to fight against the burden caused by cardiovascular diseases and inspires to drive action to encourage a lifestyle that is good for heart health.
According to WHO, cardiovascular diseases take lives of 17.9 million people each year and it is responsible for 31% of all global deaths. Hence, one needs to understand the various risk factors that could lead to a heart related disease.
SOME OF THESE MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS INCLUDE:
If the mentioned things are not kept in control by individuals, it could result in high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose, obesity, all of which risks a good heart health.
Theme
This year, covid 19 pandemic has taken the spotlight in the healthcare sector. It has displayed the importance of the healthcare profession; national healthcare systems and it has also showcased our individual responsibilities for our own health and how vulnerable we are. Studies have shown that there is a link between cardiovascular diseases and covid 19, therefore, taking care of the heart is more important than ever today.
The theme for this years World Heart Day is Use heart to beat CVD. Through this the message being conveyed is that using heart is about using the following:
Your head
One must use their head to understand what it takes to live a heart healthy life and how to act on that knowledge by changing their behavior for a better quality of life now and in the future
Influence
One needs to set an example as an individual to the ones around them. Therefore, one should encourage others around them to take positive steps towards their heart health
Compassion
One should use compassion and think about the vulnerable population of the society. We should support them especially during the unprecedented times of the COVID 19 pandemic
Besides the mentioned things, one should keep in mind to that the healthcare professionals who work all day, all year to support and help citizens like us in the time of need. We also need to remember that the ones with existing heart conditions need to be extra cautious and attend their regular check-ups and not be afraid to seek help for the same.
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