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Posted on Oct 16, 2012, 6 a.m.
The World Heart Federation reports that half of people worldwide incorrectly believe they should wait until age 30 or older before taking action to prevent disease and stroke.
Cardiovascular disease can affect people of all ages and population groups, and the risk begins early in life through unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity and exposure to tobacco. A new multi-national survey conducted by the World Heart Federation (Switzerland) reveals the extent of misconceptions about when is the right time to start taking action to prevent cardiovascular disease. In a four-country survey sample of 4,000 adults, 49% responded that at the age of 30 years or older is when people should start to take action about their heart health to prevent conditions such as heart disease and stroke. On average, people believe 32.2 years is the age to take action about their heart health; yet by this age, the average heart will have beaten 1.3 billion times, about half of its life expectancy. Further, the survey revealed that men aged 40 years and over are most likely to think it’s acceptable to delay taking action, believing an average age of 37.3 years is the time to start caring for heart health. The World Heart Federation urges people to take action now to protect their own heart health, as well as that of their children and families to safeguard future generations.
Writing Committee:, Smith SC Jr, Collins A, Ferrari R, Holmes DR Jr, Logstrup S, McGhie DV, Ralston J, Sacco RL, Stam H, Taubert K, Wood DA, Zoghbi WA. “Our time: A call to save preventable death from cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke).” Eur Heart J. 2012 Sep 17.
