The focus for this year's observance of World Health Day is High Blood Pressure (HBP).
BASSETERRE St. Kitts, April, 5th, 2013 -- HBP is one of the leading risks to health worldwide. In St. Kitts and Nevis, one out of three adults have HBP.
HBP is linked to the over-consumption of sodium or salt. In 2010, salt contributed to 2.3 million deaths from strokes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular disease globally - approximately 15% of all deaths, according to a study carried out by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. Complications of HBP also include kidney failure and memory loss.
HBP starts in childhood. Children are fed unhealthy amounts of salt in the form of commercially prepared and packaged food (see article below).
High salt foods include snacks (e.g. corn curls, potato chips); processed meats (e.g. ham and sausage); salted fish; condiments (e.g. tomato ketchup); and "baby foods" (see the attached "Salty Six" brochure produced by the American Heart Association)
The relatively high rates of HBP and its complications in St. Kitts and Nevis are increasing the cost of health care for individuals, families and governments.
The Ministry of Health urges parents, guardians, other caregivers, operators of food service establishments and the nation as a whole, to join the campaign to strictly control the amount of salt in the local diet.
Measures include being educated about the medical risks of excess salt; reading food labels for their sodium content; avoiding foods with no labels; avoiding foods with labels in a foreign language; limiting the purchase of fast food; removing salt shakers from the table; and cooking with little or no salt.
Healthy lifestyle actions also include learning how to prepare meals from fresh, locally-grown produce ("farm to fork" living); seasoning with local herbs and spices; and using fruits as snacks.
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