Walking promotes longevity —Expert

In marking the World Health Day, a medical expert, Dr (Chief) Ola Oduwole, has charged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of 30 minutes brisk walking five times a week to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke and promote longevity.

Dr Oduwole, project director, Cardiovascular Risk Assessment Centre, Ekotedo, Ibadan, gave the charge on walking at 2017 World Heart Day celebration by the centre, which also offered free cardiovascular diseases (CVD) screening and distributed handbills for behavioural changes on ensuring healthy hearts.

Oduwole, who is also the president, Association of Concerned Others, stated that walking is important because of each year globally, physical inactivity contributes to over three million preventable deaths.

He said that physical activity, like walking, is not only sports, adding “physical activity could be any bodily movement that uses energy. This can range from sports, exercises to other activities such as dancing and playing with children outside.”

The expert declared that cardiovascular disease, which includes heart diseases and stroke, affects people of all ages and population, and that currently, it causes 17.3 million deaths every year globally.

According to him, 80 per cent of these deaths occur in low and middle income countries, making it the world’s number one killer.

These diseases, experts have associated with high blood pressure and sugar levels, overweight or obesity and high cholesterol.

Dr Oduwole added: “Unhealthy diets are linked to these four leading risk factors of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases, namely high blood pressure and blood sugar levels, overweight or obesity and high cholesterol.

“CVD risks can begin before birth, during foetal development, and increases further during childhood with exposure to unhealthy diets, lack of exercise and smoking.”

He urged women of reproductive age groups to make healthy a priority, saying this will benefit their health and your family.

He said they also need to be heart-healthy during pregnancy to protect their babies from the risk later in life.

“Children learn by example; so teach them heart-healthy behaviours from a young age by adopting them yourself,” he declared.

Dr Oduwole urged Nigerians to ensure they have annual medical check-up, saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care.”

He added: “Everybody, especially above the age of 40, must know their numbers; measurement of blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, together with waist-to-hip ratio and Body Mass Index. All these will ensure they know their absolute risk core for CVD.”

Baale of Ekotedo Community, Elder Dr Taye Ayorinde who lauded the exercise, said it will go a long way to further ensure longevity in that community.

According to him, the heart is like the engine of the car, and without it, every other organ of the body will die.

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