FilMet Cultural Digest
In the wise words of SZA, “It’s cuffing season.” Whether you're in a relationship or showing self-love, your heart is the center of it all. And who are the most lovable people? Why it’s Filipinos, of course!
Aside from the symbolic heart, we must consider our anatomical one and its current status. It must be healthy for us to keep functioning and to keep loving others. In February, we celebrate Philippine Heart Awareness Month. Here is why you should care.
The History
On January 9th, 1973, it was proclaimed that Philippine Heart Month would be observed in February annually through Proclamation No. 1096 - making it its 50th year in observation this year. It was created to address the growing numbers of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and their related ailments among Filipino-descent people. It represented the seriousness of the topic.
It was implemented during the Marcos administration…where Martial law was declared eight days later, but let’s not shift our focus on that for a moment. Anyways, it was part of the proclamation where they highlighted the matter to be “attended to with urgency.”
I [Alejandro Melchor] declare the month of February of every year as “Philippine Heart Month” to be devoted to the task of effecting the highest possible degree of health care among our people through intensive encouragement of research, experimentation and study of the human heart and its affliction, as well as community involvement in the task of nation building for a healthier citizenry by extensive mass continuing education.
However, Heart Month is not exclusive to the Philippines. Several countries, including Canada and the US, also observe Heart Month in February.
Epidemiological Report
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an umbrella term for conditions affecting our blood vessels and heart. One of its classifications is ischemic heart disease (IHD), otherwise known as coronary heart disease, which is heart problems caused by narrowed arteries, usually from blood clots leading to less blood and oxygen reaching the heart. The World Health Organization (WHO) described it as a non-communicable disease (NCD) that is a long-duration chronic disease resulting from a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioural factors. More than 17.5 million deaths each year worldwide die from CVD, making it 1 of the 3 top killers, but in the Philippines, it’s number one, with an estimated 50,000 people dying every year.
Do you know what’s even crazier? In 2014, experts from the Philippine Health Association (PHA) predicted 19 Filipinos dying from CVD every hour. According to the Department of Health (DOH) in the Philippines, CVD has a prevalence of 47.1%, showing a higher risk for CVD-related deaths in the Filipino population compared to other countries - even being the worst of all of Southeast Asia and among the highest in Canadian/American-immigrants.
From a survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), a comparison of deaths from the pandemic years (2020-2022) to IHD was conducted. It was found that more deaths were recorded for IHD, making it deadlier than COVID-19.
This has given it the title of a “silent epidemic.”
Lessen the Risks
Some risk factors that cannot be controlled are family history, age, and gender. But there are CVD causes that we can control. According to the PHA, the following are several risk factors that we can manage:
An unhealthy diet (too fatty, too salty, too sweet)
Lack of exercise
Obesity
Smoking or tobacco use
Stress
Harmful use of alcohol
CVD is predisposed to bad habits from our childhood - at home and school - and prevention should have started then. We’re not all young as we used to be to change the past, but we’re still young enough to make changes for our future.
“There are also a number of underlying determinants of CVDs. These are a reflection of the major forces driving social, economic, and cultural change - globalization, urbanization, and population aging…Other determinants of CVDs include poverty, stress, and hereditary factors.” - WHO
February may be the month of hearts, but we should consider our hearts daily. It may not seem urgent until it’s too late, and it affects you personally. Now, let Tito and Tita know what you learned today so they can bring it up in the next gathering like it was their idea.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Health is wealth.
All the love,
FILMET <3
References