World Heart Day is Sept. 29, and this year’s theme is: “a life-course approach to the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease with a focus on women and children, because healthy children lead to healthy adults and healthy adults lead to healthy families and communities.”

Led by the World Heart Federation (WHF), of which ACC is a member, this day of awareness is timely since just last week the ACC, along with the Global Cardiovascular  Disease Taskforce — representing the WHF, American Heart Association, European Heart Network, European Society of Cardiology, and other global cardiovascular disease experts — released a statement calling for the implementation of plans to help meet the global target of reducing premature non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality 25 percent by 2025.

Now that the global “25by25” target has been set in place, the next step is to ensure that we work with governments on plans that help us meet this target that will ultimately improve global health. This will require accountability by governments, and involves an approach that is inclusive of nongovernment organizations, local communities, and industry as appropriate.

As Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, FACC, ACC president-elect, explained in a previous blog post, the ACC should work alongside its International Chapters in the efforts to address NCDs, and “can play a leading role in helping develop country-specific models that spell out the costs of cardiovascular disease and the costs associated with doing nothing to prevent it.”

However, the burden of cardiovascular disease does not rest only with policy makers and global leaders.  Individuals must also prioritize their own heart health and take vital steps to reduce their risk.

This World Heart Day, the ACC and other members of the WHF, are calling on individuals and parents to foster behaviour change and reduce their own and their family’s risk. Here are some simple steps for individuals to reduce their risk:

• Know your numbers and get your blood pressure checked regularly
• Say no to tobacco and avoid second hand smoke
• Have your blood glucose levels checked
• Be physically active
• Be aware of what you eat – too much salt can lead to high blood pressure; too many fats can lead to clogged arteries
• Ask an expert if you have previously suffered from a heart attack or stroke to treat and manage risk of a second event

ACC’s CardioSmart website has several tools and resources available to help track blood pressure and to quit smoking, and several tip sheets on how to be more physically active and eat heart healthy foods.

I encourage everyone to spread the message of a life-course approach to the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease, and to take action not just on World Heart Day, but every day.

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