New York: To increase public awareness of cardiovascular diseases, their prevention and their global impact, World Heart Day is observed and celebrated annually on September 29.
World Health Day was first founded in 1999 with the World Heart Federation (WHF) collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The idea of an annual event was conceived by Antoni Bayés de Luna, the president of WHF from 1997-2011. Originally, World Heart Day was observed on the last Sunday of September, with the first celebration taking place on September 24, 2000.
Every year, the day is observed with a specific theme. This year, the theme of World Health Day is ‘harnessing the power of digital health to improve awareness, prevention and management of CVD globally’.
Established by WHF and WHO, the day is observed to inform people about the various cardiovascular diseases (CVD) that can cause serious health damage. Various CVDs including heart attacks and strokes is the leading cause of death. Nearly, 18.6 million people are estimated to get affected by CVD every year across the world.
The day also aims to highlight the reason and prevention of CVD, so that people can prevent themselves from being prone to cardiovascular diseases. It is marked to educate people about the associated risk factors such as unhealthy diet, tobacco consumption, and physical inactivity, which are likely to increase the risk of CVD.
