Members of the Heart and Stroke Foundation came all the way from Cape Town to inform Alexandra residents about the effects and prevention of cardiovascular disease.
With September being Heart Awareness Month, the foundation partnered with the City of Johannesburg’s Department of Health to educate and create awareness about heart and stroke diseases.
The two organisations dedicated a day to testing people’s blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose, while at the same time advising them about healthy eating habits and the importance of exercise. The testing took place at Phuthaditjaba Centre in the morning and later moved to the Alex Clinic in the afternoon.
Organiser, Philile Mncwango of the City of Johannesburg said they had invited the foundation because they saw a need for educating people about healthy eating habits and the importance of exercise. “The problem is not the food most of us eat but the way in which we prepare the food,” said Mncwango.
She said the response from the community in terms of attendance was good, except that only the elderly came for testing. “We would have also liked to see more youngsters come because they are still active and these diseases don’t attack only the elderly.”
Mncwango’s colleague, Velisha Thompson said, “This is a good opportunity for us to go to the community and encourage and educate people about staying healthy. Residents were given pamphlets and advice depending on the outcomes of their screening tests.
“When the people get their results, we then encourage them to lead a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and also educate them on the effects and possible prevention of cardiovascular disease.”
