‘Unhealthy lifestyles cause heart diseases’, Daily Graphic

LIFESTYLES such as the eating of fatty foods and smoking have been found to be increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) among Ghanaians, the National Cardiothoracic Centre has said.
According to the centre, more than eight per cent of adults in Ghana are currently hypertensive and diabetic as a result of the increased adoption of unhealthy lifestyles.
The Director of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Dr Lawrence A. Sereboe, said data available pointed to the fact that lifestyles which increased the risk of CVDs, such as eating of fatty foods and smoking, were increasing at an alarming rate in the country.
Briefing journalists after a health walk through the principal streets of Accra to mark this year’s World Heart Day on Saturday, Dr Sereboe advised people to increase physical activity and take more healthy diets with lots of vegetables and fruits.
 Oily and fatty foods, salt and sugar and smoking must be avoided, he advised.
The event was jointly organised by the Heart Federation, Ghana Health Services, Ghana Heart Foundation, World Health Organisation and the National Cardiothoracic Centre to create awareness on the importance of preventing and controlling CVDs through healthy lifestyles.
A free health screening exercise was also organised by the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to mark the occasion.
 World Heart Day
The World Heart Day was created in 2000 by the World Heart Federation to educate people about CVDs.
 CVDs and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year, and the numbers keep rising.
According to the World Heart Federation, by 2030, it is expected that 23 million people will die from CVDs annually.
This year’s theme laid emphasis on the prevention and control of CVDs, with a focus on women and children.
 Dr Sereboe said CVDs, which included heart disease, diabetes and stroke, claim more lives than malaria, cancer and HIV and AIDS.
To prevent exposure to risk factors, he said, there is the need for regular blood pressure check-ups since high blood pressure, otherwise known as the ‘silent killer,’ is one of the causes of CVDs.
Disease of Women
According to Dr Sereboe, heart disease was the number one killer among women around the world, adding that more than 8.6 million of them die of CVD each year.
“The risk of dying or becoming seriously unwell due to heart disease and stroke is also largely under-estimated in women,” he said.
He stressed that women with diabetes were at a higher risk of dying from CVDs than men.
“CVD risk can begin before birth, during foetal development, and increases further during childhood with exposure to unhealthy diet,” he noted.
High blood pressure during pregnancy, he said, could also result in increased risk in CVD after giving birth.
Dr Sereboe called for the protection of children against heart diseases and stroke which, he said, could be done by ensuring that they lived healthy lives in their formative years.
 Ms Joyce Dongortey, a radio presenter popularly known as Akumaa Mama Zimbi, who is the brand ambassador for this years’ World Heart Day, urged women to ensure that their families were healthy and free from oily and fatty foods.
As the ones responsible for the home, she said, women needed to teach their children to adopt healthy lifestyles.