'Safe At Heart' is the appropriate tag-line attached to the 2010 World Heart Day commemorations taking place over the weekend in Dubai. The United Nations' initiative is marked every last Sunday in September and this year, Dubai is joining in with the observances that are being enacted in major cities across the globe. The schedule of activities has been designed to educate people to the effects of cardiovascular disease; conditions that are the number one cause of death worldwide.
"World Heart Day is undoubtedly one of the most important dates on the annual health awareness calendar, as it is this group of diseases that claim more lives than any other across the globe," said Tarek Rabah, President, AstraZeneca Gulf, one of the major organisations behind the initiative. "Thirty percent of deaths worldwide can be attributed to cardiac disease of one form or another and the UAE contributes significantly to the global statistics because of its high incidence of diabetes, obesity and cholesterol," he added.
The Dubai World Heart Day activities run for three days from September 24-26 at Deira City Centre (DCC). Free health screenings are being made available to adults, including Body Mass Index measurements, blood pressure recordings, blood sugar checks and a 'smokalyser' breath test. The latter is likely to prove popular for those wanting to quit their harmful tobacco habit, as the handy device can read the amount of poisonous carbon monoxide in a smoker's body. Children needn't feel left out during the program either, as there will be, balloon-bending demonstrations, face-painting and clowns to keep them occupied and amused.
"The Safe at Heart World Heart Day program is just a small component of an ongoing wider campaign that is aimed at increasing cardiovascular health across the UAE," revealed Rabah. "To effect such a change, AstraZeneca has Joined forces with the Emirates Cardiac Society to formulate the Gulf Program for Better Cholesterol Control. This initiative intends to slash the incidence of cardiac disease in the Gulf by heightening an awareness of the importance of looking after one's heart," he added.
'Workplace Wellness' is the theme for this year's World Heart Day, in recognition that most of us spend over half our waking hours at our places of employment. In order to encourage workers to attend the DCC stand, the sponsors arranged for baskets of fruit to be delivered to corporate organisations across Dubai. The healthy gifts invited employees and their families to visit the popular mall to find out how looking after their hearts can help them lead long, productive and fulfilling lives.
"It is estimated that 15-25 per cent of the UAE population has diabetes, 70 per cent is carrying excessive body weight and 54 per cent has high cholesterol levels. These are all conditions that predispose individuals to heart disease and strokes," said Rabah. "Bringing down the incidence of such conditions will not only improve the length and quality of life for hundreds of thousands of residents, it will reduce the burden of cardiac disease that has a heavy impact on society," he added.
