Leaders of community organizations from throughout the Americas will meet at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) to share experiences and discuss ways of collaborating to prevent and control cardiovascular diseases.
Leaders of community organizations from throughout the Americas will meet with representatives of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in Bogotá, Colombia, this week to share experiences and discuss ways of collaborating on the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases.
The meeting will take place on September 16 to 18 and is being organized by PAHO/WHO, Colombia's Ministry of Health, and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health of the United States.
Participants will discuss community-based interventions in areas ranging from reduction of tobacco consumption to promotion of healthy diet and physical activity and self-care for people with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
In the Americas, some 30% of people over 18 suffer hypertension, and one in five of these has smoked tobacco for more than 15 years. Combined, these two risk factors increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, which causes 30% of deaths in the Americas. Lack of physical activity is an additional factor that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
This year's World Health Day, celebrated on April 7, sought to raise awareness of hypertension and encouraged people to know their blood pressure numbers and to take measures to prevent and control hypertension.
This week's meeting in Bogotá coincides with the celebration of Wellness Week in the Americas. Colombia is celebrating the week as Healthy Life Habits Week (Semana de Hábitos de Vida Saludable), dedicated to increasing local action to prevent noncommunicable diseases.
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