The Philippine Heart Association, in coordination with the World Heart Federation (WHF), with support from the World Health Organization, Department of Health, the Foundation for Lay Education on Heart Diseases, and the Heart Foundation of the Philippines, celebrated World Heart Day on September 26, 2010 at the Central Plaza of Market! Market! Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
This year’s celebration, which marks the 10th year milestone of the World Heart Day commemoration, carried the theme “Workplace Wellness”, and aimed to use the workplace to promote long-term behavioural changes that will benefit employers, employees and communities. Research has shown that workplace-wellness programmes have benefits for both employees and employers, by improving health, productivity and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. At this 10-year milestone, the PHA joined the WHF in urging government, healthcare professionals, employers and individuals to reduce the burden of heart disease and stroke. This year, World Heart Day encouraged everyone to take responsibility for their own heart health and say “I work with heart”.
Activites included a Heart Fair which featured an aerobics exercise program, basic CPR mass demonstrations and free risk-factor screening services for local cholesterol screening, body mass index, BP monitoring, waist circumference measurement, and ECG. Lectures about healthy lifestyle, heart healthy diet, prevention of heart diseases, and cardiac rehabilitation were given.
PHA celebrates World Heart Day 2010, holds Heart Fair
By Gynna P. Gagelonia
The Philippine Heart Association (PHA), led by PHA President Dr. Eleanor Lopez, voiced out the call for a healthy lifestyle in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as it joined in the global celebration of World Heart Day at the World Heart Day 2010 Heart Fair at the Market! Market! in Taguig City last September 26, 2010.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona joined in urging the public to keep their body and heart young to prevent heart disease. According the recent Department of Health statistics, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of mortality in the country. According to the World Heart Federation, on a global scale, heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death. They claim 17.1 million lives a year – the equivalent of more than one death every two seconds.
Also on hand were PHA officers, physicians from other specialties, health professionals and pharmaceutical allies who attended to the crowd that started to swell from 8am till 1pm. The Heart Fair offered cardiovascular risk factor screenings, cholesterol tests, fasting blood sugar test, ECG, body mass index determination, blood pressure consultation, and cardiovascular evaluation.
Dr. Saturnino Javier, PHA secretary was the chair of the 2010 World Heart Day which carried the theme “Wellness in the Workplace”.
The risk factor screenings were done courtesy of the PHA pharmaceutical allies. The other activities included: CPR demonstration, lay forum on cardiac rehabilitation, healthy cooking and eating, and aerobics competition, to stress the value of regular exercise.
Lopez underlined the benefits of having a healthy workplace, however, “healthy habits begin in the home and in childhood. You can never go wrong with a well-embedded and nurtured seed of Healthy Lifestyle.”
Seeing the pressing need to work up the workplace, the World Heart Federation (WHF) asks everyone to take responsibility for their own hearthealth and say “I work with Heart”.
Lopez also said that the PHA is marking another milestone with this high-impact commemoration of this International event which is simultaneously marked by 104 WHF –member countries. A member of WHF, in the past 10 years, the Philippines, through the PHA, has gained rave reviews for its impressive World Heart Day activities.
The full story on the World Heart Day is available through the PHA Newsbriefs.
September and October 2010
Glory days in the media department
World Heart Day 2010 in September generated extensive media hype, generating six “hits” from leading media players –ABS-CBN (Umagang Kay Ganda and Salamat, Dok), ANC, (Living the Good Life) DZMM 630 Teleradyo (Magandang Gabi, Dok), GMA 7, DZRH 666 Teleradyo and Manila Bulletin (print and website), and other media entities like IBC 13 (Express Balita and News Tonite) and NBN 4 (Money Matters and TeleDyaryo) Radyo Inquirer, DzEM and Manila StandardToday, Remate Tonight (print and website).
The event proper on September 26, 2010 received substantial pre-publicity from the following media outfits.
Media Date Program/ Host Guest _______
Entity Show ________________________________________________
DZMM 9/8/10 Magandang Gabi,Dok Nina Corpuz Dr.Edgardo Ebba
DZEM 9/25/10 Health Watch Annabelle Surara Dr.EleanorLopez
DZMM 9/8/10 MGD Nina Corpuz Dr. Saturnino Javier
GMA 9/25/10 24-Oras Mel Tiangco Dr. SPJavier
DZRH 9/22/10 PhilHealth Guia Villaga Dr. SP Javier
ANC 27 9/25/10 Living the Tina Revilla Dr. Eugene Reyes Gold Life
DZIQ 9/25/10 Medikalusugan Dr. SP Javier
Meanwhile, the September 30, 2010 memorandum of agreement signing among the Department of Education, Philippine Heart Association, Philippine Society of Hypertension and Bayer Phils., partners in the implementation of the BP ng Teacher Ko, Alaga Ko Advocacy project, was covered by DZMM Teleradyo, Radio Mindanao Network and Medical Observer. The reporters of DZMM and RMN reported their stories while on site. Medical Observer printed its account in its October 2010 issue.
The first Blood Pressure site of the BP ng Teacher Ko Alaga Ko, which took place at the Malinta Elementary School in Valenzuela City on Oct. 23, 2010, gained media attention from GMA 7, QTV 11, ABS-CBN, TV5 and NBN 4. The slant pursued was the growing incidence of hypertensive teachers linked to stressful conditions and situations like the nerve-racking barangay polls on October 25, 2010, meager salary and lack of health benefits.
The full stories are available through the PHA Newsbriefs.