World Heart Day 2018: the World Heart Foundation urges public to make lifestyle changes to improve heart health

Posted: 28/09/2018

World Heart Day, which takes place on Saturday 29 September, is a global campaign set up by the World Heart Federation (WHF) to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease.

This year’s campaign asks people around the world to make a promise to improve health and lifestyle choices ‘for MY HEART, for YOUR HEART, for ALL OUR HEARTS’. The WHF reports that cardiovascular disease, including conditions such as strokes and heart disease, is the world’s number one killer today with 17.5 million people dying every year. However, by making small changes to the way we live, we can reduce this risk and improve the quality of our lives, while also setting a good example for the next generation.

World Heart Day is the WHF’s largest platform for raising awareness about cardiovascular disease and over recent years more and more of the world’s iconic landmarks, monuments and buildings have illuminated red in support of the day.

The campaign also intends to resonate with professional cardiology and healthcare audiences who dedicate themselves to looking after heart health. It encourages:

• individuals to promise to cook and eat more healthily; to get more active, do more exercise and encourage children to be more active; to say “no” to smoking and to help loved ones to stop;
• healthcare professionals to save more lives; and
• policymakers to implement a noncommunicable disease (NCD) action plan. 

More information on the campaign and how you can get involved is available on the WHF website.

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