Project to check heart disease in corporates launched

Hyderabad, (IANS) A cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention project expected to benefit 50,000 members from 100 corporate organisations was Sunday launched in Andhra Pradesh.

Designed by the Medwin Heart Foundation, the Indian Institute of Public Health and supported by corporate bodies, the 'Healthy Hearts Project' is a worksite CVD prevention programme.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah launched the five-year project at Prevent India 2010, a national-level conference on CVD prevention, here. Under the project, 50,000 members from 100 corporate organisations would be enrolled.

Ramesh Babu, managing director of the Medwin Heart Foundation, said the target populations' baseline parameters would be established, various health promotion interventional activities would be facilitated and the parameters would be closely monitored for the next five years.

Cardiovascular disease was responsible for 17.1 million deaths globally in 2004 and projected to account for 23.6 million deaths in 2030.

India will forego $237 billion in national income over the next 10 years as a result of premature deaths caused by heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, he said.

The health promotion interventional activities under the project will be facilitated by a group of local champions selected from the participating companies. They would be trained in lifestyle modification tools.

Ideal health behaviour metrics like non-smoking, healthy weight, appropriate levels of physical activity and healthy eating patterns will be inculcated.

The project will be implemented in association with industry bodies like The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), Information Technology & Services Industry Association of Andhra Pradesh (ITsAP), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and American Chambers of Commerce (AMCHAM).