The Health Bureau (SSM) will host a series of activities to mark World Heart Day today that is celebrated annually on September 29, as well as National Hypertension Day on October 8, according to the bureau’s statement yesterday.
This year’s World Heart Day is themed “Heart to Heart”, encouraging people to understand, love and protect their heart, connecting concepts such as the environment, healthcare and mental health to better understand and care for the heart and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
The World Heart Federation has designated September 29 every year as World Heart Day since 2000, with the purpose of drawing public attention to heart disease and strokes, raising awareness of related diseases, and reminding the public to take good care of their hearts.
To mark World Heart Day and National Hypertension Day, the bureau will host a painting competition, seminars to include special lectures, as well as health consultation and education booths, the statement said. Meanwhile, there will be a series of measurement booths to measure body health data such as heart rhythm, lipids, blood sugar and body mass index.
Hypertension is one of the main causes of cardiovascular diseases, and the bureau has been advocating regular monitoring of blood pressure and weight, the statement said, noting that a total number of people using the bureau’s blood pressure and weight measurement meters in the city’s self-detection stations has been rising, reaching 740,000 people in 2022, an increase of nearly 80 percent compared to about 420,000 people in 2017, showing that residents’ attention to self-health management is improving.
According to the bureau, the mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases in Macau from 2009 to 2021 showed a decreasing trend, from 82.4 per 100,000 people in 2009 to 81.2 per 100,000 people in 2021.
The bureau urged members of the public to pay attention to their heart health, and maintain a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet and moderate exercise, avoid smoking and limit alcohol intake, through a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of heart disease.
This poster provided by the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday shows the details of the upcoming series activities of the World Heart Day and the National Hypertension Day.
