TIME TO CHANGE LIFESTYLES?
(Posted 11 April 2012)

According to the World Health Organization ¹, heart disease was the leading cause of death in the world in 2008.

In the Philippines, diseases of the heart have consistently been the top leading cause of death for the past ten years. What makes it heartbreaking is the fact that the prevalence rate is on the rise!

Of the total registered deaths in 2000, 16.5 percent were deaths due to diseases of the heart. This jumped to 20.0 percent in 2008 and further increased to 21.0 percent in 2009. (Table 1 )

Per 100,000 population, 78 deaths due to diseases of the heart were registered in 2000 for the whole country, ballooning to 102 and 109 deaths in 2008 and 2009, respectively.  Quite expectedly, among the regions, the highest prevalence rate is consistently that for the NCR (151 in 2009), the major major center of economic activities in the country.  Second highest prevalence rate is generally, that for the Ilocos Region. What happened to the saluyot?    Lowest prevalence rates are for ARMM (9 in 2009) and SOCCSKSARGEN (65 in 2009)! Surprised? (Table 2 and Figure1)

As men are generally believed to be leading more dangerous, more stressful, (and more sinful?) lives, there are many more males than females who die due to diseases of the heart -  129 males per 100 females in 2008, and 128 males per 100 females in 2009. Highest sex disparity is for ARMM; lowest disparity for Ilocos Region. Since Ilocos has the second highest prevalence rate while ARMM has the lowest, does this tell us that compared to their counterparts in the other regions, the women of ARMM are taking care of their hearts more while the women of Ilocos seem to be leading life just as dangerously as the Ilocos men? (Table 3)

But here are some tips on how to prevent diseases of the heart from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute ²:

1. Keeping your blood glucose under control. Have an A1C test twice a year. The A1C test measures the average blood glucose level for the past two to three months. The higher the level of glucose in the blood, the higher the A1C result will be. 

2. Keeping your blood pressure under control. Below 130/80 is the target for most people.

3. Keeping your cholesterol under control. Have it checked at least once a year. The target for most people for Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol is below 100, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol should be above 40 for men and above 50 for women. Triglycerides should be below 150.

4. Making physical activity a part of your daily routine.  Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Check with the doctor to learn what activities are best for you.

5. Making sure the foods you eat are “heart healthy”.   Include foods with high fiber such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads, and oats. Cut back on meats, butter, dairy products. Limit foods with trans fat such as potato chips.

6. Losing weight if you need to. If you are overweight, try to exercise most days of the week. Consult a registered dietitian for help in planning meals and lowering the fat and calorie content of your diet to reach and maintain a healthy weight.

7. If you smoke, quit.

8. Check if you need to take an aspirin. Studies have shown that low dose of aspirin everyday can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

9. Take your medicines as directed.

Yes, indeed, life might be getting more stressful these days – so, specially in the heat of this summer, let us be careful with our hearts!

 

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¹ World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/

² Let us have a heart-to-heart talk, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1660

 

 

Figure 1. Motion Bubble Chart
(How to use the Motion Bubble Chart)

• Press the play button () above to view the animation.
• How to use the Motion Bubble Chart

 

Table 1. Registered deaths due to diseases of the heart
in the Philippines by region

Source of basic data: Civil Registration System of the National Statistics Office

Notes:
1/ - Per EO 352 or the System of Designated Statistics of the Philippine Statistical System, both the Civil Registration System (CRS) of the NSO and the Field Health Service Information System (FHSIS) of DOH are designated statistical activities. While they both produce statistics on deaths, for purposes of this article, NSO data was used considering the apparent undercoverage of mortality statistics from the FHSIS as data from the latter are only limited to reports provided by barangay health stations/centers, rural health units, and municipal health centers.
For example, for 2009, total deaths reported by the FHSIS is 391,032 (Source: Table 1.B.1 of the 2009 FHSIS Report http://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/FIELD%20HEALTH%20SERVICE%20INFORMATION%20SYSTEM%20ANNUAL%20REPORT%202009.pdf). This is still lower by 89,129 deaths reported by the CRS of NSO (480,161), despite the possible underreporting of mortality statistics from the CRS.

2/ - Registered deaths by usual residence and excludes deaths in foreign countries.

3/ - As NSO data was used for this article (based on the consideration cited in item no. 1 above), the latest CRS data are still for 2009. Per information provided by the Civil Registration Department (CRD) of NSO on 11 April 2012, the 2010 vital statistics, including deaths, will be released by the end of the year. This is in accordance with the schedule of data dissemination of two years after the reference year, per EO 352.

 

Table 2. Registered deaths due to diseases of the heart per 100,000 population by region

Source of basic data: Civil Registration System of the National Statistics Office

 

 

Table 3. Registered deaths due to diseases of the heart
by region and by sex

Source of basic data: Civil Registration System of the National Statistics Office

Note: 1/ - Sex ratio for the Philippine population was 101 in both 2008 and 2009.

 

Figure 1. Registered deaths due to diseases of the heart per 100,000 population by region

 

 

Prepared by:                                                          Under the Guidance of:

RACQUEL DOLORES V. SABEÑANO                     ROMULO A. VIROLA
Statistical Coordination Officer                               Secretary General 
Social Sectors A Division
Email: rdv.sabenano@nscb.gov.ph
Tel No.: (+632)890-9678

GERALD JUNNE L. CLARIÑO
Statistical Coordination Officer        
Social Sectors A Division
Email:gjl.clarino@nscb.gov.ph
Tel No.: (+632)890-9678

The authors also acknowledge the assistance provided by Ms. Aurora T. Reolalas and Ms. Ma. Goretti M. Novilla of NSO, Dir. Candido J. Astrologo, Jr., Dir. Jessamyn O. Encarnacion, Ms. Myrna M. Gutierrez, and Mr. Noel S. Nepomuceno.

Assisted by:

MA. LIBERTIE V. MASCULINO
Statistical Coordination Officer

DENNIS E. SAN DIEGO
Artist/Illustrator

ALBERT A. GARCIA
Statistical Coordination Officer

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