WORLD HEALTH DAY SCOUTING & PERSONAL HEALTH PROGRAMS.

World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of public health concern in the world.
The theme for 2013 is “high blood pressure”

    

 

3 April 2013 -- The Global brief on hypertension: silent killer, global public health crisis describes why, in the early 21st century, hypertension is a global public health issue. It describes how hypertension contributes to the burden of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure and premature death and disability.

The document also explains how hypertension is both preventable and treatable and how governments, health workers, civil society, the private sector, families and individuals can join forces to reduce hypertension and its impact.

Many people do not know they have high blood pressure because it does not always cause symptoms. As a result, it contributes to more than nine million deaths every year, including about half of all deaths due to heart disease and stroke. Cut your risk of developing high blood pressure by: cutting down on salt; eating a balanced diet; avoiding harmful use of alcohol; doing regular physical activity; and avoiding tobacco use.

About high blood pressure

High blood pressure – also known as raised blood pressure or hypertension – increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can also cause blindness, irregularities of the heartbeat and heart failure. The risk of developing these complications is higher in the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes.

One in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure. The proportion increases with age, from 1 in 10 people in their 20s and 30s to 5 in 10 people in their 50s. Prevalence of high blood pressure is highest in some low-income countries in Africa, with over 40% of adults in many African countries thought to be affected.

However, high blood pressure is both preventable and treatable. In some developed countries, prevention and treatment of the condition, together with other cardiovascular risk factors, has brought about a reduction in deaths from heart disease. The risk of developing high blood pressure can be reduced by:

• reducing salt intake;
• eating a balanced diet;
• avoiding harmful use of alcohol;
• taking regular physical activity;
• maintaining a healthy body weight; and
• avoiding tobacco use.

Raised blood pressure

Situation and trends

Worldwide, raised blood pressure is estimated to cause 7.5 million deaths, about 12.8% of the total of all deaths. This accounts for 57 million disability adjusted life years (DALYS) or 3.7% of total DALYS. Raised blood pressure is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and ischemic as well as hemorrhagic stroke.

Blood pressure levels have been shown to be positively and continuously related to the risk for stroke and coronary heart disease. In some age groups, the risk of cardiovascular disease doubles for each increment of 20/10 mmHg of blood pressure, starting as low as 115/75 mmHg. In addition to coronary heart diseases and stroke, complications of raised blood pressure include heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, renal impairment, retinal hemorrhage and visual impairment.

Treating systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure until they are less than 140/90 mmHg is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular complications.

Globally, the overall prevalence of raised blood pressure in adults aged 25 and over was around 40% in 2008. The proportion of the world’s population with high blood pressure, or uncontrolled hypertension, fell modestly between 1980 and 2008. However, because of population growth and ageing, the number of people with uncontrolled hypertension rose from 600 million in 1980 to nearly 1 billion in 2008.

Across the WHO regions, the prevalence of raised blood pressure was highest in Africa, where it was 46% for both sexes combined. Both men and women have high rates of raised blood pressure in the Africa region, with prevalence rates over 40%.

The lowest prevalence of raised blood pressure was in the WHO Region of the Americas at 35% for both sexes. Men in this region had higher prevalence than women (39% for men and 32% for women). In all WHO regions, men have slightly higher prevalence of raised blood pressure than women. This difference was only statistically significant in the Americas and Europe.

Across the income groups of countries, the prevalence of raised blood pressure were consistently high, with low, lower middle and upper middle countries all having rates of around 40%. The prevalence in high income countries was lower, at 35%.

FACTS

40% of adults aged 25 and over had raised blood pressure in 2008.

17.3 million People died from cardiovascular diseases in 2008.

80% of Non-Communicable Diseases deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

SCOUTING & PERSONAL HEALTH PROGRAMS.

Scouting involvement in the United National Millennium Goals emphasized Improved Maternal Health; be that as it may, Scouting will be involved in the following manner and can equally be tracked as part of Messengers of Peace programs.

Expectations:

1.  Scouting involvement in Greater Health Awareness Programs.

2.  Scouting should involve in campaign on Healthy Behaviors,

3.  Improved detection, and enabling environments

The ultimate goal of World Health Day 2013 is to reduce heart attacks and strokes. Specific objectives of the campaign are:

ü  to raise awareness of the causes and consequences of high blood pressure;

ü  to provide information on how to prevent high blood pressure and related complications;

ü  to encourage adults to check their blood pressure and to follow the advice of health-care professionals;

ü  to encourage self-care to prevent high blood pressure;

ü  to make blood pressure measurement affordable to all; and

ü  to incite national and local authorities to create enabling environments for healthy behaviors.

Q&As on hypertension

Online Q&A
March 2013

1. What is raised blood pressure (hypertension)?

Hypertension, also known as high or raised blood pressure, is a condition in which the blood vessels have persistently raised pressure. Blood is carried from the heart to all parts of the body in the vessels. Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood into the vessels.

Blood pressure is created by the force of blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels (arteries) as it is pumped by the heart. The higher the pressure the harder the heart has to pump.

Normal adult blood pressure is defined as a blood pressure of 120 mm Hg¹ when the heart beats (systolic) and a blood pressure of 80 mm Hg when the heart relaxes (diastolic). When systolic blood pressure is equal to or above 140 mm Hg and/or a diastolic blood pressure equal to or above 90 mm Hg the blood pressure is considered to be raised or high.

Sometimes hypertension causes symptoms such as headache, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, palpitations of the heart and nose bleeds. However, most people with hypertension have no symptoms at all.

2. Why is raised blood pressure dangerous?

The higher the blood pressure, the higher the risk of damage to the heart and blood vessels in major organs such as the brain and kidneys.

If left uncontrolled, hypertension can lead to a heart attack, an enlargement of the heart and eventually heart failure. Blood vessels may develop bulges (aneurysms) and weak spots that make them more likely to clog and burst.

The pressure in the blood vessels can cause blood to leak out into the brain and cause a stroke. Hypertension can also lead to kidney failure, blindness, and cognitive impairment.

The health consequences of hypertension can be compounded by other factors that increase the odds of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. These factors include tobacco use, unhealthy diet, harmful use of alcohol, lack of physical inactivity, and exposure to persistent stress as well as obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes mellitus.

3. How can raised blood pressure be prevented and treated?

All adults should have their blood pressure checked. If blood pressure is high, they need the advice of a health worker.

For some people, lifestyle changes are sufficient to control blood pressure such as stopping tobacco use, eating healthily, exercising regularly and avoiding the harmful use of alcohol. Reduction in salt intake can help. For others, these changes are insufficient and they need prescription medication to control blood pressure.

Adults can support treatment by adhering to the prescribed medication, by monitoring their health.

People with high blood pressure who also have high blood sugar or elevated blood cholesterol face even higher risk of heart attacks and stroke. Therefore it is important that regular checks for blood sugar, blood cholesterol and urine albumin take place.

Everyone can take five concrete steps to minimize the odds of developing high blood pressure and its adverse consequences.

• Healthy diet:
• promoting a healthy lifestyle with emphasis on proper nutrition for infants and young people;
• reducing salt intake to less than 5 g of salt per day (just under a teaspoon);
• eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day;
• reducing saturated and total fat intake.
• Avoiding harmful use of alcohol i.e. limit intake to no more than one standard drink a day
• Physical activity:
• regular physical activity and promotion of physical activity for children and young people (at least 30 minutes a day).
• maintaining a normal weight: every 5 kg of excess weight lost can reduce systolic blood pressure by 2 to 10 points.
• Stopping tobacco use and exposure to tobacco products
• Managing stress in healthy way such as through meditation, appropriate physical exercise, and positive social contact.

4. How common is raised blood pressure?

More than one in three adults worldwide have raised blood pressure – a condition that causes around half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease. It is considered directly responsible for 7.5 million deaths in 2004 – almost 13% of all global deaths.

In nearly all high-income countries, widespread diagnosis and treatment with low-cost medication have led to a dramatic drop in mean blood pressure across populations – and this has contributed to a reduction in deaths from heart disease.

For example in 1980, almost 40% of adults in the WHO European Region and 31% of adults in the WHO Region of the Americas had high blood pressure. By 2008, this had dropped to below 30% and 23% respectively.

In contrast, in the WHO African region, more than 40% (and up to 50%) of adults in many countries are estimated to have high blood pressure and this proportion is increasing.

Many people with high blood pressure in developing countries remain undiagnosed, and so miss out on treatment that could significantly reduce their risk of death and disability from heart disease and stroke.

THE WRITE UP IS NOT IN ANYWAY TO CREATE FEAR INTO ANYONE’S MIND ABOUT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. HOWEVER GOOD REGULAR MEDICAL CHECK UP WILL AVOID THE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE THAT COULD LEAD TO HYPERTENTION…………MAKE IT A HABIT TO DO REGULAR CHECKS OF YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE.

GOOD HUNTING