MFA supports initiatives to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease
This year the Malta Football Association is supporting World Heart Day which aims to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to educate people on the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle.
Held each year on 29th September, World Heart Day is organised by the World Heart Federation and is supported by UEFA and Healthy Stadia. Working together with the European football family, we can all make a significant contribution to reducing premature mortality and disability caused by CVD.
The campaign theme for World Heart Day 2017 is: Share the Power. Heart health is at the heart of all health.
When you look after your heart it means eating and drinking well, exercising, stopping smoking... all the things that make you not only healthier, but also feel good and able to enjoy your life to the fullest. If you don’t look after your heart you are putting yourself at risk of CVD, which includes heart disease and stroke, and accounts for over 17.5 million premature deaths each year.
We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to live a longer, better, heart-healthy life. Together with World Heart Federation and UEFA, we are asking individuals and organisations, to consider making the following changes so you can Share the Power:
Move Your Heart: maintain an active lifestyle, aiming for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity five times per week for adults, and 1 hour per day for children – playing football is a great way to achieve this, but think about incorporating walking and cycling into your daily routines
Fuel Your Heart: adopt a healthier diet that is high in fruit and vegetables and lower in fat, salt and sugar; moderate your intake of alcohol over the course of the week
Love Your Heart: for individuals to seek professional support in attempting to quit smoking and for organisations to maintain a Smokefree environment to protect against second-hand smoke Help us to Share the Power: Share your healthy heart tips and heart selfies: Help to Share the Power by uploading your healthy heart tips on photo or videos to the World Heart Day’s Heart Health Wall or simply take a Healthy Heart Selfie and share it on social media using the hashtag #WorldHeartDay
Take the Heart IQ test: Heart IQ is a short online quiz that asks you 8 questions about heart health and gives you a score based on how much you know. At the end of the quiz you can either share your score or a Healthy Heart Selfie. Take the test at: http://worldheartday.org/
To find out more about World Heart Day please visit the website: http://worldheartday.org/
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in the world today: over 17.5 million people die from cardiovascular disease every year.
Any disease of the heart, vascular disease of the brain, or disease of the blood vessels constitutes a cardiovascular disease. The most prevalent cardiovascular diseases include coronary heart disease (e.g. heart attack) and stroke. Controlling key risk factors such as diet, physical activity, tobacco use, and blood pressure may reduce your risk of CVD.
There are many risk factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. Some people are born with conditions that predispose them to heart disease and stroke, but most people who develop cardiovascular disease do so because of a combination of factors such as poor diet, lack of physical activity and smoking, to name just three. The more risk factors you expose yourself to, the higher the chance of developing cardiovascular disease.
Smoking damages the lining of blood vessels, increases fatty deposits in the arteries, increases bloodclotting, adversely affects blood lipid levels, and promotes coronary artery spasm. Nicotine accelerates the heart rate and raises blood pressure.
Diet plays a significant role in protecting or predisposing people to heart disease. Diets high in animal fat, low in fresh vegetables and fruit, and high in alcohol have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. Adopting a diet low in fat, salt and sugar has a protective effect over the long term. This means whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
For more information about Cardiovascular Disease visit: http://worldheartday.org/whatis-cvd/.