World Heart Day
Before today’s blog we’d like to draw your attention to the Global Response 2010 essay competition. Sponsored by the Faculty of Health Sciences at Copenhagen University, it’s a chance for any student with experience of the effects of violent conflict on health to write a 1,500 word essay on it. Two winning students will be awarded a scholarship to attend the Global Response 2010 conference in Copenhagen in January. Get writing soon, because the deadline is the 15th of October. Full details of the competition can be found here. Good luck!
Between 2005 and 2015, the global economy will have lost hundreds of billions of dollars due to poor health in the workplace
It is estimated that 17.2 million people die every year from cardiovascular disease, and yet 80% of these deaths are could be prevented by controlling the risk factors, such as smoking, poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Yesterday was World Heart Day, organised by the World Heart Federation – an NGO and, since 1998, the WHO’s leading partner in combating cardiovascular disease – to draw attention to these risks. The theme of this year’s event was Work with Heart and focussed on cardiovascular health in the workplace.
The theme was chosen as part of the World Economic Forum’s Working Towards Wellness campaign, which aims to improve the health of workers all over the world. Most people spend half their day at work so it’s vital to cut down the risk factors of chronic disease there as well as at home. It’s not only heart disease which can be prevented by eating better and taking regular exercise at work.
And it’s not only workers who will benefit from this improved state of health. The Working Towards Wellness campaign also wants to help employers reduce sick days and cut healthcare costs. It’s estimated that between 2005 and 2015, the global economy will have lost hundreds of billions of dollars due to poor health in the workplace.
With this in mind, this year’s World Heart Day encouraged both employers and employees to make positive changes to reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease and improve their health in general. Employers should ban smoking in their buildings, offer easy access to water and encourage their workers to eat more healthily at work and take exercise during their breaks. The employees themselves should eat better, especially avoiding salty processed food, stop smoking if they need to and attend regular health checkups to keep an eye on their weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
As part of World Heart Day, events went on all over the world to promote cardiovascular health. In the UK, the British Heart Foundation launched a campaign for big businesses to set up health clubs; in China many events took place including dancing, walking and the performance a symphony orchestra; in Brazil four cities, Pindamonhangaba, São Jose dos Campos, Tremembe and Guaratingueta organised body mass index testing and two mass walks, one for two kilometres and the other for five.