Experts link rise in sudden deaths to decline in physical activities - The Guardian Newspapers

Experts link rise in sudden deaths to decline in physical activities

Monday, 30 September 2013 00:00 By Chukwuma Muanya News - National

EXPERTS have associated the increasing cases of sudden deaths from coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke to global decline in physical activities.
   To address the situation, the experts, Sunday on the occasion of the World Heart Day, called everyone to increase their physical activity in order to protect their heart health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke.
   The bodies include: The World Heart Federation (WHF), the Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF), Pfizer pharmaceuticals, cardiologists, World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH).
    A consultant cardiologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-Araba, Lagos, Prof. Amam Mbakwem, at a media chat organised by Pfizer to mark the World Heart Day at the weekend said: “We have a big problem in our hands. That is a time bomb waiting to go off. Nigerians are no longer walking. More people are slumping and dying on daily basis. There is no single day that we do not see at least two new cases of stroke in our clinic here. Strokes are getting so common.
     “Why? People are no longer exercising. We are not moving. Most of us are living a very sedentary lifestyle. I think it is good for the government to have banned commercial motorcycle so that people will start walking. We have to build the roads and provide where people can walk. Take a road to a healthy heart; walk. Let us start doing what we enjoy like dancing. Let the children dance. We have to consciously start taking at least 10,000 steps a day. Use the stairs rather than the elevator. Be wary of salty food. Do not fry the fish and white meat. We have to start reading labels of food products before we buy. We have to ban cigarettes.”
    The theme for this year’s World Heart Day, ‘Take the road to a healthy heart,’ focuses on the ‘life-course approach’ to the prevention and control of CVD amongst all age groups, with a focus on women and children, as healthy children lead to healthy adults and healthy adults lead to healthy families and communities.
    Also, the WHO yesterday, reported that global levels of physical activity are declining. The six country survey published jointly with the WHF revealed that between 14 and 37 per cent of adults do not pay any attention to one of the simplest things most  people can do to protect their heart health – walking.
   More than a quarter of people who took part in a new multi-country survey said they did not know how much time they spent briskly walking at a speed faster than normal.
  Chief Science Officer, WHF, Dr. Kathryn Taubert, said: “Awareness is the first step to a healthy heart. Paying attention to how much we walk should be as simple as watching what we eat. On World Heart Day, we are urging people to take action to protect their hearts. By reaching the recommended guideline of minimum 30 minutes of moderate exercise, which includes brisk walking at least five days a week, many premature deaths can be prevented.”
    Medical Manager, Pfizer, Dr. Osahon Omorodion, said: “The main aim is to educate people that the threat of heart disease can begin at any age, and that people’s risk increases with exposure to risk factors such as unhealthy diet or exposure to tobacco smoke. Unless people are aware and action is taken to enable heart-healthy living, CVD will remain the single leading cause of death worldwide and, by 2030, will be responsible for 23.6 million deaths each year.”