World Heart Day: Make healthy heart choices, WHO asks women

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: On the occasion of World Heart Day, WHO is asking women around the globe to make healthy heart choices.

World Health Organisation is calling on countries to take action to reduce the risk of heart disease in women.

Factors that leads to risk of heart disease in women are same with those in men which include lifestyle factors such as tobacco use, obesity, harmful alcohol use and physical inactivity.

Heart diseases are a major health problem among women and remain under-recognised and under-treated, said a statement by Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for South-East Asia.

In the South-East Asia region, the risk of heart disease in wome increases substantially because of the exposure to household air pollution from using solid fuels for cooking.

In the WHO South-East Asia region, cardiovascular diseases cause an estimated 3.7 million deaths annually, one fourth of all deaths.

The majority of premature deaths due to cardiovascular disease can be prevented through simple measures such as consuming a healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco and alcohol and by managing stress, the statement said.

"The WHO has set a target for reducing premature mortality from cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25 percent by 2025 and has developed a regional action plan to achieve this target," said Khetrapal.

(With IANS inputs)