Posted October 9, 2013
Targeted News Service
The most vital organ in the body is the heart. To help people remember how important it is to have a healthy heart, Sunday, September 29, has been deemed World Heart Day. World Heart Day encourages people around the world to fight heart disease and stroke.
This year’s theme, “Take the Road to a Healthy Heart,” focuses on how heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease can affect everyone in the family, including children. Cardiovascular disease causes 17.3 million deaths annually throughout the world; in Indiana, it is responsible for almost one-third of all Hoosier deaths, making it the leading cause of death in both men and women. In the U.S., cardiovascular disease costs the nation $312.6 billion in direct and indirect costs.
“Most heart disease and stroke can be prevented by making healthy changes,” said State Health Commissioner William VanNess, M.D. “By eating healthy, being active, knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers and quitting smoking, you can greatly reduce your chance of a heart attack.”
Besides smoking and high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, exposure to second-hand smoke, obesity and sedentary lifestyle all contribute to cardiovascular disease. In Indiana, the number of people with high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity is steadily increasing.
According to the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey:
* 24 percent of Hoosiers smoke cigarettes
* 32.8 percent have high blood pressure
* 38.9 percent have high cholesterol
* 31.4 percent are obese
* 10.9 percent have diabetes
Adults should get their cholesterol levels checked every five years and blood pressure checked at least every two years. When a person’s blood pressure is high, they are four times more likely to die from a stroke and three times more likely to die from heart disease.
“The American Heart Association is committed to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke,” said Mark Jones, M.D., president of the American Heart Association’s Indianapolis Board of Directors. “It’s critical for all Americans to recognize that heart disease is the leading cause of death and that they can take action to prevent it from impacting their lives. We’re working with individuals and families to encourage heart-healthy lifestyles at every age in order to reduce risk factors like obesity and diabetes that can lead to heart disease. As more people adopt heart-healthy habits, we know we will reduce the impact of heart disease.”
State health officials encourage all Hoosiers to be more physically active, eat a heart healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and avoid tobacco. The Indiana State Department of Health’s Cardiovascular and Diabetes Division focuses on reducing the burden of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke for Indiana. To learn ways to move more, eat better and avoid tobacco, visit the INShape Indiana website at www.INShapeIndiana.org.
For more information about heart disease and stroke, visit the Indiana State Department of Health’s website at www.StateHealth.in.gov or the American Heart Association at www.heart.org.
Follow the Indiana State Department of Health on Twitter at @StateHealthIN and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/isdh1.
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© 2013 Targeted News Service