Reducing heart disease and lifestyle diseases in the Philippines

For this article, I would like to share with you some of the latest data on non-communicable diseases in the Philippines. The more people know about them, the more we can do something about them.

The results were gathered from the 2010 report of the World Health Organization entitled “Non-communicable Diseases’ Risk Factors and Socioeconomic Inequalities — What Are the Links?” The Philippine study had 3,307 subjects. (The book is available at the WHO Western Pacific Region website.)

As of today, diseases of the heart and the vascular system still rank as the top one and two causes of death in the Philippines. It is the hope that the government and the different stakeholders will cooperate in the campaign to lessen the burden of non-communicable diseases.

These so-called lifestyle diseases include heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and kidney disease. Here are the data on six risk factors for cardiovascular disease: (See accompanying table for the exact numbers.)

1. Current smoking. The percentage of Filipino smokers is in the range of 56-59 percent for men and seven to 17 percent for women. Women between the ages of 50 and 65 years old smoke twice as much when compared to women between 20 and 35 years old. There are more Filipino smokers among those who only finished primary education, as compared to those who finished high school or college. Both rich and poor Filipinos have comparable rates of smoking, although the poorest males tend to smoke more at 64.1 percent.

2. Consuming less than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The results here are very alarming because they show that three out of every five Filipino adults do not eat enough fruits and vegetables every day. Both men and women, regardless of age, levels of education, and income, do not take enough fruits and vegetables. This is a serious matter that clearly has an impact on the burden of non-communicable diseases in our country. As a simple guide, adult Filipinos should consume two cups of assorted fruits and two cups of assorted vegetables every day.

3. High blood pressure. In the study this was defined as systolic blood pressure (the upper number) more than or equal to 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) more than or equal to 90. The prevalence of hypertension in the Philippines is around 21 to 25 percent, which means that one out of every four Filipino adults has high blood pressure. The prevalence of high blood pressure increases as one gets older and grows richer. Those with higher incomes eat more and become more overweight.

4. High cholesterol (defined as total cholesterol of more than or equal to 240 mg/dl). The prevalence of high cholesterol levels in the Philippines is around 10 percent, which means that one out of every 10 Filipino adults has high cholesterol. Surprisingly (or not), women have higher cholesterol levels than men. Moreover, the report shows that more women are overweight than men. Perhaps it’s because the mothers eat the leftover foods of the children. The prevalence of high cholesterol levels also increases as one grows older.

5. High fasting blood sugar (defined as fasting blood sugar of more than or equal to 126 mg/dl). The prevalence of diabetes in the Philippines is around four to five percent. This increases as one gets older and in those with higher incomes. Indeed, that is the reason why these diseases (heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure) are considered lifestyle diseases — they are brought about by an unhealthy lifestyle of lack of exercise, intake of fatty foods, and cigarette smoking.

6. Central obesity (defined as abdominal girth measured at the umbilicus of more than or equal to 40 inches for men, and more than or equal to 35 inches for women). Central obesity is a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease. Based on these criteria, women have a much higher risk compared to men. Would you believe that 31.3 percent of women, ages 50 to 65 years old, have central obesity, compared to only 4.3 percent for men of the same age group? Central obesity also increases as one gets older (older people have slower metabolism), and as one gets richer (more intake of rich and fatty foods).

In conclusion, the path to reducing non-communicable diseases is clear: reduce these six risk factors and you can reduce these diseases.