According to a Statistics Canada report, in 2005, the three leading causes of death in Canada were cancer, heart disease and stroke. These three causes of death were responsible for 58% of all deaths in Canada in 2005.
According to another report by Public Health Agency of Canada, certain populations, including Aboriginals and certain ethnic groups, such as South Asians, are at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases.
Heart disease, along with stroke, belongs to a category of illnesses called cardiovascular (CV) diseases. These chronic diseases claim more than 70,000 lives per year in Canada. In addition, an estimated 1.6 million Canadians are living with heart disease or the effects of a stroke.
Seeing such alarming reports all over the web and in newspapers, South Asian youth are beginning to notice a growing health concern developing among the adults of our community; it is a concern that may even become a serious issue in our later years. The rate of heart disease experienced by South Asians is increasing. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, “1.3 million Canadians reported having heart disease diagnosed by a health professional.” But for South Asians, heart disease is unique.
Baldev Mutta, Executive Director at the Punjabi Community Health Services, comments that South Asians have a greater chance than any other ethnicity in having heart disease. What’s more, Mr. Mutta says that they are more deadly in South Asians than other communities. There are many reasons that can be attributed to answer why South Asians have such problem, such as genetics, lifestyle, stress, the food we eat, etc.
Furthermore, factors that increase the risk of CV diseases include family history and age, being a smoker, lack of exercise, unhealthy eating, being overweight, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and stress. According to recent research, nine in ten Canadians over the age of 20 have at least one risk factor, and four in ten have three or more risk factors.
The time we spend exercising can also be taken into account. Research conducted by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) reveals that of the participants in their study, “63-75 per cent … did not participate in at least 15 minutes of daily physical activity, and the problem was worst among South Asian men (70 per cent) and women (75 per cent), Chinese men (71 per cent) and women (75 per cent) and Black women (71 per cent).”
For the South Asian youth, this has to be something that is on their mind, but I’m also sure that no one younger than 25 is even close to be concerned about how heart disease will affect their lives. It is, of course, a disease that mostly strikes people of an older age. I am not about to say that youth should start worrying about getting heart disease, but I will say that we should at least create a healthy lifestyle. It is always easier to start a good health habit early, and continue it into our later years, than start a new way of living later on.
With this in mind, what can be done to help curtail some of the issues related to heart disease? Mr. Mutta, a man with tremendous experience in helping people in the South Asian community, has a few pieces of advice that can help South Asians of any age. It includes increasing levels of exercise, eating earlier (around 6pm), watching out for fatty foods (ex. Samosa, Pakora, etc.), and watching your portion size. Advice, such as this, can go a long way into helping the longevity of youth and adults in our community.
The advice given here is not supposed to represent the entirety of information that one can use to help develop one’s lifestyle. For more information, please visit the heart and stroke foundation website to further aid one’s lifestyle change.
http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3479045/k.6516/South_Asian_Resources.htm
Author:Meuren Martins
