Cardiovascular Disease
Name
Institution
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular diseases are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. It is one of the deadliest diseases that account for more than 30% of death worldwide (WHO, 2020). Many of these deaths occur in low-income countries because of insufficient attention by the healthcare community in these countries and the people’s ignorance about this killer disease (WHO, 2020). Several population-based strategies and cost-effective interventions have been established to reduce the prevalence of CVDs.
Under the umbrella of WHO, all member states agreed on an action plan that called for a 25% reduction in the global prevalence of raised blood pressure (WHO, 2007). Raised blood pressure is the main factor for cardiovascular disease. Several interventions have been made by the World Health Organisation and member states to counteract this deadly disease.
The measures taken tend to focus on people’s lifestyles since the disease mainly arises from a bad diet. The World Health Organization, alongside other organizations, has tried to sensitize people on dietary changes that can reduce cardiovascular risks. For example, taking cholesterol-free foods can reduce the risk associated with cardiovascular diseases (Prabhakaran et al., 2016). There is also a need to increased increase intake of fruits and vegetables.
Modification of behavior is another practice that has been advocated for by WHO. They include regular exercise, reducing cigarette smoking, and smoking cessation observation studies have shown that behavioral modifications are associated with reducing cardiovascular disease deaths (WHO, 2007). Concerned Organisations have sponsored legislation on smoking to be passed by the government to prevent public smoking (Kondo et al., 2019). This is because studies identify smoking and unhealthy lifestyle as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
References
Prabhakaran, D., Jeemon, P., & Roy, A. (2016). Cardiovascular diseases in India: current epidemiology and future directions. Circulation, 133(16), 1605-1620.
World Health Organization. (2007). Prevention of cardiovascular disease. World Health Organization.
World Health Organization. (2020). Cardiovascular diseases. https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases/#tab=tab_1
World Health Organization. (2020). Hearts: technical package for cardiovascular disease management in primary health care.