One Home
This year, on World Heart Day, the World Heart Federation and its members challenge you to take charge of your family’s heart health and become your home’s advocate for heart-healthy living.
To help you, we’ve identified four actions you and your family can take:
- Stop smoking tobacco in the home to improve your own and your children’s heart health
- Implement a new rule in your home: for every cigarette someone smokes, an extra household chore is waiting!
- Start the day with a piece of fruit or prepare your own lunch at home to ensure healthy options are taken to work or school
- Make sure every evening meal contains at least two to three servings of vegetables per person
- Families should limit the amount of time spent in front of the TV to less than two hours per day
- Organize outdoor activities for the family, such as cycling or hiking trips, or simply playing in the garden
- When possible, instead of using the car, take your bicycle or walk from home to your destination
- Visit a healthcare professional who can measure your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, together with waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index (BMI).
- Once you know your overall CVD risk, you can develop a specific plan of action to improve your heart health. Make this action plan clearly visible in your home as a reminder!
By actioning the house-hold steps above, you and your family can reduce the burden of CVD wherever you are in the world. However, not all heart events are preventable. It is therefore important to know what action to take should a heart attack or ischaemic stroke, occur in the home.
Learn the signs and symptom of a heart attack or stroke >
World Heart Day is supported globally by:
