Experts on public health, rights activists and representatives from different youth organisations have said that the prevalence of hypertension and heart disease is increasing among the youths due to unhealthy habits, including dietary habits and lifestyle.
Against this backdrop, effective measures are urgently required to protect this large group of youth population from the risks of hypertension and heart disease. Screening for hypertension and availability of anti-hypertensive medicine must be ensured at all Community Clinics and Upazilla Health Complexes in Bangladesh, they said at a webinar on Saturday (August 12, 2023).
PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), a research and advocacy organisation, in collaboration with Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) arranged the webinar titled “Risks of Hypertension, Heart Diseases and the Youths of Bangladesh”.
Some youth organisations, including Youth Club of Bangladesh, Kashful Foundation, It’s Humanity Foundation, Give Bangladesh, and Sandhani were co-organisers of the webinar which was arranged on the occasion of the International Youth Day-2023.
The International Youth Day is observed on August 12 every year aiming to increase understanding of the obstacles and concerns encountered by young individuals worldwide, and to advocate for their untapped capabilities. The day was observed this year with the theme ‘Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World.’
Speakers at the webinar of PROGGA informed that one in every four adults in Bangladesh suffers from hypertension and this vulnerability is growing increasingly among the youths in Bangladesh. The country’s current youth population is 45.9 million which is one-fourth of the country’s total population.
Speaking at the webinar, Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology & Research at National Heart Foundation; said that increased prevalence of hypertension and heart diseases is being noticed among the youth along with adults which can be reduced by changing lifestyle, dietary habits and measuring blood pressure.
Dr. Mohammad Sabbir Haider, program manager (CBHC) at Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS); informed that the government is implementing various programmes related to lifestyle modification to combat the risk of hypertension among the youth. A decision has already been taken to provide anti-hypertensive medicine from all Community Clinics and its implementation will reduce the prevalence of hypertension among the entire population of the country, including the youths, he added.
ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA; was also present at the webinar as one of the discussants. The webinar was moderated by Sadia Galiba Prova, coordinator at Hypertension Control and Trans Fat Elimination Project of PROGGA. People of different professions from different regions of the country participated in the webinar.
