Nationwide BP awareness campaign slated

In the tradition of spearheading activities that aim to increase public awareness on the prevention and primary care of heart diseases, the Philippine Heart Association (PHA), composed of the country’s heart specialists and those concerned in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, is leading the BP Awareness Campaign.

The project, dubbed "Presyon ko alam ko, Presyon ko alaga ko," is in cooperation with the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines and the Therapharma division of Unilab.

This Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 12 noon, a massive blood pressure (BP) screening will be done simultaneously in municipal and barangay halls, churches, public schools and quadrangles all over the country.

The campaign primarily aims to raise the awareness of Filipinos on the importance of monitoring one’s BP.

On the day of the event, people will have to register and give their personal details such as name, age and address. Those diagnosed with hypertension will be given healthy lifestyle counseling and referrals to the nearest health centers or hospitals.

However, the organizers stressed that there will be no distribution of medicines since the main objective of the activity is the early detection of unsuspecting hypertensives, and follow-up monitoring of known hypertensives.

Previously, one of the main highlights of PHA’s "Heart Month" celebration is the Lakad Puso, a walk-for-life campaign participated in by medical practitioners, key government figures, pharmaceutical firms, non-governmental organizations, and affiliate societies.

The PHA targets 250,000 participants from 400 sites all over the country for the nationwide BP screening.

With the expected attendance, the event could even break an existing world record with the most number of BP screenings done in one day.

Some 5,000 people trained by the PHA will take charge of the BP screening.

According to the PHA, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death among Filipinos, with hypertension as one of the top causes.

The alarming fact is that the number of possible hypertensives rises yearly. According to the latest National Nutrition and Health Survey, 17.4 percent of Filipinos are hypertensives.