For an average resident who lives in the regions of South Asia, the discrepancy in the "age of the heart" with the biological age is more than 4 years.
72% of participants do not know their cholesterol levels, and 58% do not know their blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
68% do not exercise and 72% walk less than the recommended 10,000 steps per day.
June 22, 2020 - The results of the online test "Measure the age of your heart!", which was launched as part of the Asian social and educational program for the prevention of the risks of developing cardiovascular diseases "Pulse of Life" and prepared taking into account the best international practices in the field of prevention of diseases of the circulatory system. Over 4 months, more than 106,000 people (70% women, 30% men) aged 21 to 89 from 83 regions of South Asia took part in the test. The average biological age of the project participants was 42 years, and according to the results of the test, the average “age of the heart” was 46 years.
The online test was created by expert cardiologists specifically to calculate a person’s “heart age” within a few minutes, assess their health status, lifestyle and give personalized recommendations, following which everyone can reduce their cardio risk. At the same time, “heart age” is a conditional parameter that allows assessing the state of the human cardiovascular system. A discrepancy with biological age of more than 3 years may indicate the presence of at least 3 risk factors, which leads to an increase in cumulative cardiac risk. This trend is especially evident in older age groups: in participants 60+, the difference in biological age from test results is 6 years.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the availability of preventive measures and the population's commitment to a healthy lifestyle. At the same time, it is important to remember that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. During the period of self-isolation and quarantine restrictions, innovative approaches to the implementation of cardiovascular prevention measures were needed. Therefore, the launch of the “Measure the age of your heart” project, during which it was possible to remotely identify risk factors and further reduce cardio risk, was especially relevant,” said the President of the Asian Society of Cardiology.
The results of the study showed that the largest part of people are careless about the control of risk factors that directly affect the possibility of CVD: 72% of participants do not know their cholesterol levels, and 58% - blood sugar levels and 18% blood pressure (BP) levels. An unfavorable situation is also observed with the physical activity of South Asians: 68% do not go in for sports, and 72% admitted that they walk less than the recommended norm - 10,000 steps per day.
In addition, major risk factors such as high blood pressure and glucose levels, obesity and smoking are much more common in men than in women. They can be the reason for the greater discrepancy between the age in the passport and the "age of the heart" - by 4.8 years for men and 3.9 years for women.
“In just 4 months, over 100,000 people have taken our online test because it's simple and fun. Everyone received a recommendation on what to do to reduce their risks of CVD, which means that our task of promoting a healthy lifestyle and prevention is being solved. We will continue the project in order to expand coverage and help people think about a responsible approach to their health,” the Director for Communications and Relations with State and Public Organizations commented on the idea of the project.
The project was initiated by the Indian Society of Cardiology and large companies in India. The reason for the launch of the project was alarming statistics: according to the Asian analytical agency for 2019, diseases of the circulatory system account for about 46.8% of all deaths.
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