World heart day: All you need to know

Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of deathsglobally, according to the World Heart Federation (WHF). The reasons for CVDs are many; from smoking and hypertensionto diabetes, and obesity. External factors like air pollution and other diseases can also result in cardiovascular diseases. The pandemic has added to the challenge. Hence, it is more important than ever to raise awareness and tackle these diseases.

The World Heart Day is a perfect platform for medical practitioners, researchers and the entire health and the Cardio vascular diseases community to unite and fight against cardiovascular diseases. Here is all you need to know about the World Heart Day.

When is the World Heart Day celebrated?​

The World Heart Day is celebrated all over the globe on 29^th of September.

Why is the World Heart Day celebrated?​

It is considered the biggest opportunity for raising awareness about cardiovascular health and diseases.The WHF has decided to inform, educate and make people aware about the importance of a healthy heart on this day. It makes people aware and also informs them of the actions that they can take to ensure that they stay healthy.

The World Heart Day is celebrated for spreading awareness about heart diseases and how you can contract them. It does this by raising awareness on social media platforms via videos, campaigns, infographics and other online engagement tools like hashtags, seminars and talks.

WHF also works to spread awareness on the ground via workshops, seminars, screenings and campaigns in association with the government of the countries and various NGOs.

What can you do?​

The WHF has come up with a campaign- ‘Use heart to beat cardiovascular diseases’ for the World Heart Day 2020. The WHFlists things that you can do in order to do your bitfor the World Heart Day.

• Understand how you can keep your heart healthy and act on it. Make necessary changes in your lifestyle to work towards improving your heart health.
• Use your influence to raise awareness about issues related to cardiovascular health.
• If you are a healthcare professional, educate your patients about making positive changes in their lives in order to keep their heart healthy.
• If you are an employer, you can raise awareness in your employees, and invest in their heart-health.
• The government, too, can implement initiatives and policiesto improve the heart health of the society. It can levy sugar taxes, tobacco taxes, air pollution and smoking bans, and fines in order to make the environment safer and conducive to maintaining a healthy heart.
• You can act selflessly to support those with underlying heart conditions, which may put them more at risk in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has become more important than ever to be conscious of your lifestyle and care for your heart. Inculcate healthy habits, eat healthy food, and stay active. You should also keep on monitoring your heart health and go for medical check-ups regularly. Make yourselves aware about the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular diseases. Learn about CPR and other first aid measures that can help in case of a cardiac arrest. These tips can help keep your heart healthy and fulfill the mission of the World Heart Day.