New heart health monitor reveals worrying global obesity

Friday 12 May 2017

New heart health monitor reveals worrying global obesity trends
- Globally, 1 in 10 people aged 30-70 die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) but this must be reduced by 25% by 2025
- World Heart Federation’s new heart health monitor will chart worldwide progress toward preventing CVD and early deaths
The World Heart Federation (WHF) has today released an interactive monitor tool that creates a global picture of heart health. This innovative online tool brings together quality World Health Organization (WHO) data from around the world and is designed to make it easier for countries to track their progress in reducing the rates of risk factors such as tobacco use, obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity.
The World Heart Federation CVD World Monitor visualizes country-by-country data to track performance against the WHO Global Action Plan Targets. Currently 1 in 10 people aged 30-70 die from CVD, making achieving the WHF 25by25 goal (a 25% reduction in premature mortality caused by CVD, including heart disease and stroke, by 2025) even more crucial to global heart health.
Half a billion are obese
One of the most pressing issues highlighted by the CVD World Monitor is obesity. The global prevalence of obesity almost doubled between 1980 and 2014, resulting in more than half a billion adults worldwide classified as obese. Obesity increases the likelihood of hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke, and WHO has set a target of a 0% increase in obesity rates globally by 2025:
• The countries with the highest rates of obesity are continuing to rise substantially
• The highest absolute burden of obesity is in the Oceania region, with many countries showing the highest rates of both obesity and diabetes
The CVD World Monitor also shows that other risk factors, including diabetes, raised blood pressure, tobacco use and physical inactivity, are key areas of focus to achieve 25by25, and highlights areas for which there is lack of reliable global data. In the future, we hope that further global NCD targets will be added to the tool, including:
• At least 50% of eligible people receive drug therapy and counselling to prevent heart attacks and strokes
• 80% availability of the affordable basic technologies and essential medicines required to treat major NCDs
The CVD World Monitor has been designed to aid those committed to improving heart health and preventing premature deaths, from policy makers and Ministries of Health, to civil society and the general public. New data will be continually added to provide a rich picture of CVD incidence, prevention and control around the world.

David Wood, President of the World Heart Federation, said: “Worldwide high quality data is key to us winning the fight against CVD. We hope that this global tool will equip governments, policy makers and the health care industry with the vital information required to mark their progress towards reducing premature mortality from CVD, and to make a compelling case for better global and national monitoring and surveillance of populations.”

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