A HEALTHY
heart is the foundation for overall health and wellbeing. When our heart is
healthy we are able to make the most of the opportunities that life has to
offer and to play a full and active part in family, community and working life.
Today, to commemorate World Heart Day, let us all take a moment to reflect on
how we can all improve our heart health.
Despite
significant advances in medical care particularly of acute events such as heart
attacks and strokes, in 2014 there were 408 deaths from cardiovascular diseases
(CVDs) in Brunei Darussalam. It continues to remain a leading cause of death in
Brunei Darussalam and has been the case over the last five years and more.
This
year’s theme is “Creating heart-healthy environments”. This is especially
pertinent to the issues facing us today. Creating enabling environments that
support health and wellbeing and making healthy choices the default choice is
the key to reducing the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Through
appropriate health-promoting environments, CVDs are largely preventable.
Cardiovascular
diseases are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include
coronary heart disease such as heart attacks and also cerebrovascular disease
including strokes.
There are
several risk factors that have been associated with cardiovascular diseases.
Many of these are modifiable and can be controlled with appropriate diet and
physical activity.
A
sedentary lifestyle, obesity, tobacco exposure, high blood pressure
(hypertension), high cholesterol, diabetes and unhealthy diets are all examples
of modifiable risk factors.
Never is
it more true than here that prevention is better than cure. Eighty per cent of
premature deaths from cardiovascular deaths can be prevented by three simple
measures: we need to eat less and eat wisely, we must do at least 30 minutes of
moderate intensity physical activity five times a week, and we need to stop
smoking.
The most
important measure that you can take for yourself and your family to prevent
cardiovascular disease is ensuring that you eat a healthy diet. We must eat
less and eat wisely.
• Avoid
unnecessary snacking and practice portion control at mealtimes to ensure that
we do not overeat.
• Choose
foods such as leafy vegetables, fruits, fish and lean meats.
• Avoid
sweet and sugary foods such as kuih, desserts, and soft drinks. Foods that are
high in starchy carbohydrates such as rice, noodles, and bread should be eaten
only in moderation. Eat vegetables to fill yourself up instead.
Along
with a healthy diet, we need to exercise regularly.
• Aim for
30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a day. Some examples of
activities that would be included would be brisk walking, cycling, and
swimming.
• You can
download a free fitness app on your smartphone to track your activity levels
during the day.
• If you
have not been exercising regularly before, speak to your doctor before starting
a high intensity exercise programme.
The
Ministry of Health, together with other partners, in line with “Creating
heart-healthy environments” have been addressing the challenges of unhealthy
lifestyles through various frameworks including the Brunei Darussalam
Multisectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable
Diseases 2013 – 2018.
In
addressing obesity, our healthcare professionals provide direct care for those
individuals who are overweight and obese, and also those suffering from the
consequences of obesity such as diabetes.
We give
brief interventions, motivational counselling, and nutritional advice to our
clients.
We work
together with other stakeholders in developing an enabling environment that
supports individuals to make healthy choices for themselves and their families.
In order
to truly make an impact on heart-health in Brunei Darussalam, we will explore
and support innovative approaches to tackling obesity that are locally-led.
Over the
last few months, we have been working with partners to focus especially on
workplace and employee health, and also on the supermarket environment making
sure that it is conducive to making healthy choices.
In
addition, along with other government agencies, we are also exploring fiscal
mechanisms that will reduce the consumption of unhealthy food in the country.
Message
by Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi, Minister of Health
on the occasion of World Heart Day 2016
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