Ona: 17,000 Pinoys died of CVD 2009

Cardios issue Healthy Lifestyle Passports at World Heart Day 2010 Fair

Secretary Enrique Ona urged the public to keep their body and heart young to
prevent heart disease. Last year, 17,000 Filipinos in the Philippines died of
cardiovascular disease (CVD).

According to the World Heart Federation, on a global scale, heart disease and stroke
are the leading causes of death. They claim 17.1 million lives a year – the
equivalent of more than one death every two seconds.

Ona joined cardiologists, collectively known as the Philippine Heart Association

(PHA), led by PHA President Dr. Eleanor Lopez, in calling for “Wellness in the
Workplace”, on the occasion of the global celebration of World Heart Day at the
World Heart Day 2010 Heart Fair at the Market! Market! in Taguig City.

Also on hand were PHA officers, physicians from other specialties, health
professionals and pharmaceutical allies who attended to the crowd that started to
swell from 8am till 1pm. "The free to the public Heart Fair offered CVD risk factor
screenings. The patients who availed of the PHA Healthy Lifestyle Passport were
told about their chances of acquiring or staying CVD-free in the next five of 10
years based from the results of their cholesterol test fasting blood sugar test, ECG,
body mass index determination, BP consultation, and assessment," said Dr.
Saturnino Javier, PHA secretary and concurrent WHD 2010 over-all chair.

The PHA HL passport holders’ next appointment with thecardiologists for the follow-
up tests/assessment, will be atm the Heart Month 20111 Heart Fair on Feb. 6, 2010
at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. Their PHA HL passport is a pre-
requisite. The HL Passport Assessment Booth was manned by cardiology-fellows in-
training under the supervision of PHA treasurer Dr. Eugene Reyes.

The risk factor screenings were done courtesy of the PHA pharmaceutical allies. The
other activities included: CPR demonstration, lay forum on cardiac rehabilitation,
healthy cooking and eating, and
aerobics competition, to stress the value of regular exercise.

Lopez underlined the benefits of having a healthy workplace, however, "healthy

habits begin in the home and in childhood. You can never go wrong with a well-
embedded and nurtured seed of Healthy Lifestyle."
She added that "80 percent of premature deaths could be avoided by controlling
the main modifiable risk factors. The tenets of a healthy lifestyle are: maintain a
normal blood pressure which is 110/80, normal body weight and waist
circumference, sugar and cholesterol level, keep a well-balanced diet, exercise
regularly, quit smoking, manage stress and drink in moderation."

Seeing the pressing need to work up the workplace, the World Heart Federation
(WHF) asks everyone to take responsibility for their own hearthealth and say “I
work
with Heart”.

Lopez also said that the PHA is marking another milestone with this high-impact
commemoration of this
International event which is simultaneously marked by 104 WHF –member
countries. A member of WHF, in the past 10 years, the Philippines, through the
PHA, has gained rave reviews for its impressive mounting of World Heart Day
activities.

She added that the WHD 2009 theme was “Wellness in the Workplace”. In the face
of an alarming incidence of CVD mortality on a global scale, the WHF opted to adopt
the same theme in 2010, jolting all workplaces to work with heart.

Research has shown that workplace-wellness programs have benefits for both
employees and employers, by improving health, productivity and reducing the risk
of heart disease and stroke. Since most of us spend over half our waking hours
working, this setting is ideal to promote heart-healthy messages and raise
awareness about risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Chronic diseases are
thought to contribute to 40 percent of lost productivity. Studies have found that
workplace programs
can achieve a 25–30 percent reduction in medical and absenteeism costs. -End-