Improving attitude towards better heart
Survey highlights that family history is connected to risk of developing heart disease
Regional doctors are calling for stronger education campaigns, as a recent survey showed poor social attitudes towards heart diseases in the UAE. The survey was commissioned by an Abu Dhabi-based hospital that gathered responses centred on heart disease and its root causes from over 1,000 UAE nationals and residents.
Around 44 per cent of people said that they feared dying of heart disease, with women more likely to register this as a concern (49 per cent) than men (43 per cent). This revealed a broad consensus among UAE residents about the risks of heart disease, with 76 per cent of respondents saying that they believed people under 40 should be more concerned about the illness.
Despite widespread awareness of heart disease, there was less understanding of the factors that influence a person’s heart health, particularly among younger people.
Surveyed UAE nationals and residents between the ages of 18 and 29 were significantly less likely to be aware of the role family history can play in a person’s risk of developing heart disease. More than half of young respondents – 51 per cent – said family history was not a factor in heart health, compared to the 62 per cent of total respondents who said it was. Experts agree that people with a family history are significantly more likely to develop some form of heart disease during their lives.
Most respondents – across all age groups, nationalities, income groups and emirates of residence – indicated they felt they could control the health of their heart, with 79 per cent responding in the affirmative. Strikingly, the level of confidence increased as respondents in the survey group got older, with 85 per cent of people over 40 saying they could control their heart health, compared to 74 per cent of people under 29.
Regular exercise and a healthy, balanced diet can significantly reduce a person’s risk of developing heart disease over their lifetime. The survey results suggested a disparity between Emirati nationals and other nationalities in the level of awareness of the factors that can improve heart health, with 71 per cent of Emirati nationals believing they could improve their heart health, compared with 83 per cent of Asian respondents and 92 per cent of westerners.
A parallel study, surveying social attitudes to heart health in Kuwait, showed similar findings, with 39 per cent of survey respondents in Kuwait feared dying due to heart disease, and 71 per cent believing that people under 40 should be more concerned about the illness.
“The results of this survey show that heart disease is a real and present concern across the whole community in the UAE and the region, and that more people are looking for support in managing their heart health,” said a representative of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the hospital.
“It demonstrates that the campaign against heart disease needs to be multidimensional – improving health education and also ensuring that everyone has access to the advanced technologies and sophisticated therapies that can treat heart issues as they occur,” he said.
The survey was conducted between August 21 and 28 this year by YouGov, with a pool of respondents from across the UAE and Kuwait.
Hospitals across the UAE will mark World Heart Day with special campaigns that include online heart health education resources, community health activities, as well as a series of initiatives designed to raise awareness about the advanced cardiovascular services.
Around 71 per cent of Emirati nationals believe they can improve their heart health.