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Contact: cfeheley@acc.org;
800-253-4636; 301-581-3425
September 16, 2004
Kicking
Heart Disease Before It Starts
World Heart Day Sept. 26 Focuses on Children’s
Heart Health
(BETHESDA, MD)—Heart disease—the nation’s
top killer—must be stopped in our kitchens and cafeterias
if we are ever going to regain control, say experts supporting
World Heart Day’s “Children, Adolescents and Heart
Disease” campaign.
Celebrated
worldwide on Sunday, Sept. 26, World Heart Day
brings public awareness to the debilitating combination
of overeating, inactivity and exposure to smoking in the home.
"We
must address heart disease where it starts—with our children.
Failing to control our children's serious overeating and inactivity
today will only expand the impact of our nation's
No. 1 killer tomorrow,” said Gerard Martin,
M.D., F.A.C.C., Executive Director, Center for Heart, Lung
and Kidney Disease Chief, Children’s National Medical
Center.
Without
strong intervention today, the nation is gambling with the
possibility of mass heart disease that will undoubtedly strain
resources of all types.
“Unhealthy
diet and physical inactivity have doubled the number
of overweight and obese children and adolescents
in the past two decades,” said Michael J. Wolk, M.D.,
F.A.C.C., President of the American College of Cardiology.
“As
a result, we are seeing an increased risk of illness
from heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
and stroke,” he added. “This strain is
showing up today in pediatricians’ offices, and will
surely overrun cardiologists’ offices in years to come.
Projections show an exponential
growth in adult cardiovascular patients in the coming years.”
World
Heart Day is sponsored globally by the World Heart Federation,
and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a U.S. supporter.
The ACC has invited all 50 U.S. Governors to proclaim Sept.
26 World Heart Day, and to enlist the First Families in promoting
children’s heart health with activities and community
events through their state.
The
American College of Cardiology is a 55-year-old professional
medical society and teaching institution, representing 31,500
cardiovascular specialists worldwide and dedicated to fostering
optimal cardiovascular care and disease prevention through
professional education, promotion of research, leadership
in the development of standards and guidelines, and the formulation
of healthcare policy. The ACC website is www.acc.org.
The
World Heart Federation, an NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland,
is the global sponsor of World Heart Day. Web links are www.worldheartday.com
and www.worldheart.org.
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