Health experts Thursday warned that a silent epidemic of high blood pressure affects over 3 million people in Pakistan with a shocking 23% prevalence among youngsters aged 18-29 due to unhealthy dietary patterns and less exercise habits.
Talking to a Private news channel, A renowned Cardiologist Prof Dr Fawad Tariq expressed his serious concern over an alarming stage of high blood pressure patients in Pakistan where over 45 years old women population is suffering from this disease.
He underlined the need to create more mass awareness drives about the use of healthy food, care, and prevention to control the spread of the disease. He said that high blood pressure (hypertension) is not just a concern for the elderly but for youth population which was increasingly falling victim to this silent threat.
Fast food and processed snacks have become staples in the diet of many young Pakistanis, he said, adding, the excessive intake of sodium, unhealthy fats, and sugary delights wreaks havoc on blood pressure levels, setting the stage for hypertension.
He suggested that adopting healthier lifestyle habits can potentially decrease your likelihood of developing high blood pressure and contribute to lowering it if already elevated.
Youngster should practice such as meditation, yoga, and mindfulness can be powerful tools in mitigating stress and promoting overall well-being.
Expert mentioned that according to recent Pakistan Adolescents Schools Survey that over 80% of adolescents in Pakistan had unhealthy diets.
A WHO study revealed that 82.8% of boys and 87.3% of girls aged 13-15 were not sufficiently active. Another study reported that 54.3% of Pakistani adolescents were physically inactive, with factors like schools lacking playgrounds and lack of parental support correlating with physical inactivity.
He stressed the importance of combined community education and healthcare provider education for hypertension control. There’s been a lot of research on the health impacts of hypertension in kids. But it takes time for doctors to learn about new research and use it to change how they care for those kids, Falkner says.
