THE Provincial Health Office identifies non-communicable diseases as the leading mortality causes for Boholanos in 2020 and 2021, especially cardiovascular diseases.
To celebrate Philippine Heart Month, the Provincial Information and Media Office released a Capitol Reports episode on Friday, February 3, focusing on cardiovascular diseases, prevention and control, and the programs under Bohol’s provincial government that deals with it.
Lifestyle and diseases coordinator Leonidas Saniel discussed in the first part of the episode the common morbidities among Boholanos that lead to mortality.
Hypertension, a contributor to developing cardiovascular diseases, was identified as one of the deadliest for Boholanos in 2020 and 2021, along with cancer, heart failure, COVID-19, diabetes, pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease, myocardial infarction or heart attack, and internal/external injuries.
Saniel said that out of 10 mortalities identified by PHO, seven are non-communicable diseases for 2020 and eight for 2021.
Top Cardiologist Dr. Jane Regner-Ramiro mentioned that an unhealthy lifestyle often leads to developing non-communicable diseases, such as poor diet, smoking, alcohol, lack of exercise, and stress. She added that a lack of nutritional education contributes to people developing unhealthy eating habits leading to cardiovascular diseases.
Medical specialist Dr. Fruserma Mary Uy said that positive body image helps fight non-communicative diseases, emphasizing the importance of developing a healthier perspective on your body reduce the risk of unhealthy eating behaviors.
“It is very important to have a positive image of your own body, aside from the physical aspect, we should relate it to our mental health. If you don’t feel good about your body, you’re likely to be stressed, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases,” Uy said.
Provincial Health Officer 1 Dr. Yul Lopez said Bohol’s provincial government continues its efforts against non-communicative diseases through information education campaigns, encouraging Boholanos to develop positive habits, such as exercising and proper diet. PHO also adopted the Philippine Package of Essential Non-Communicable Diseases Interventions (PhilPEN) program, a tool assessing the risk factors of the patients through timely screening to determine the level of risk of CVD.
According to Lopez, preventing non-communicable diseases is an effort to alleviate poverty, as he believes both health and economic conditions intertwine. He reminded viewers that taking care of their bodies is an economic benefit in avoiding financial stress, leading to better living conditions. (PiMO/GMC)
