This year our efforts will focus on protecting the hearts of women and children through heart-healthy actions.
This year, World Heart Day is even more significant given that at the 65th World Health Assembly in May 2012, governments from 194 countries agreed to the first-ever global mortality target on non-communicable diseases (NCDs – including CVD, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases) and made a commitment to reduce premature NCD deaths by 25 per cent by 2025.
Since CVD accounts for nearly half of the 36 million deaths due to NCDs, we have a major role to play in achieving this target.
This year in continuation from our 2011 theme of home heart health we will make 2012 the year of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention among women and children because:
Women/children and CVD are not synonymous:- CVD is commonly considered an “older persons” and a “man’s” disease
- Women underestimate their CVD risk; even though almost half of the 17.3 million annual deaths occur in women
Children
are particularly at risk, since they have little control over their
environment and can be limited in choices to live heart-healthily
Unless action is taken to enable heart-healthy activity, the children of today are at increased CVD risk later in life Women/mothers are often the « gate keeper » to their family’s health hence a key influencer in keeping their hearts healthy.Links:
http://www.world-heart-federation.org
Take action http://www.world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/awareness/world-heart-day/take-action/
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