Look after your health this month
February is National Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Month, and what better way to get into the spirit of healthy living than to get to grips with two important health indicators: body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure readings?
LIMPOPO – “According to the most recent South Africa Demographic and Health Survey, released by Statistics South Africa last year, close to half of the participants aged older than 15 years were recorded as having high blood pressure,” notes Mark Arnold,Principal Officer of Resolution Health Medical Scheme.
The same study also recorded BMI of most participants and found that one-third of men and two-thirds of women were categorised as being either overweight or obese.
A local doctor who would like to stay anonymous says: “High blood pressure and obesity goes hand-in-hand. When you are obese your blood pressure gets higher.
“When testing yourself for high blood pressure the first thing a doctor will tell you is to lose some weight.
“Before losing weight make sure to get a check-up at your doctor because losing weight without knowing what to do can be a health risk at the end and cause damage to your body. Look out for a long term plan to lose weight. A quick fix will only do you harm.”
Kittie Hudson, Occupation Health and Safety Nurse at Voortrekker Hospital, says that it is very important to keep your blood pressure at a constant level.
“You can do that by regulating your diet. Do not eat too much salty foods. When you are on a prescription make sure to drink your pills every day.
“Do regular exercise to keep fat at bay. Go for regular check-ups at your doctor. When your blood pressure is not monitored often you are at risk of a stroke.”
Another nurse, who would like to stay anonymous, explains that when you are obese, your heart works more which puts a lot of strain on it.
“I would recommend to avoid any food with white starch and any sugar. I have seen a lot of people who are overweight or obese and the high blood pressure cause heart attacks and also sometimes things like blood clots in your legs. It gets very dangerous.”
“This Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Month, we are challenging the public to get to know their own blood pressure readings and BMI, and understand the health implications behind these numbers.
“We believe that such awareness can help people to more acutely appreciate the importance of embracing healthy behaviours and the relationship between lifestyle factors and overall wellness.
What is BMI:
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a basic measure used to gauge whether a person is within the healthy weight range, says Dr Jacques Snyman, Director of Product Development at Agility Health, Resolution Health’s administrator.
To calculate your BMI, first record your mass in kilograms and your height in metres. Divide your weight by your height (e.g. 65kg/1,5 m = 43,3).
Take the answer and divide it by your height again (e.g. 43,3/1,5 = 28,8).The answer is your BMI (e.g. 28,8 = overweight). “This measurement is not applicable to children, the elderly or athletes, and should be discussed with your general practitioner as there could be other clinical factors to be considered. It does, however, provide an indication of whether an average adult has a healthy bodyweight,” Snyman points out.
The ideal BMI would be between 18,5 and 25, while a BMI of between 25 and 30 indicates that the individual could be overweight.
A person with a BMI over 30 is usually considered obese. Being overweight or obese is associated with a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer.
Blood pressure:
“Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers, signifying systolic and diastolic pressure respectively. A blood pressure test measures the pressure of your blood when your heart is pumping the blood into arteries as well as the resting pressure between heartbeats,” Snyman notes.
Blood pressure readings are expressed as systolic pressure, which is during a heartbeat, over diastolic pressure, after the heartbeat.
According to the Heart Foundation, optimal blood pressure readings for an adult, while at rest, are lower than 120mmHg for systolic pressure, and 80mmHg for diastolic pressure.
Readings in the normal range are between 120 and 129 mmHg for systolic pressure, and 80 and 84 mmHg for diastolic pressure.
Unchecked, high blood pressure can cause kidney damage and visual impairment, and is a risk factor for stroke and heart attack.
“Prevention is always better than cure, and awareness is an important starting point. This Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Month, we encourage people to get to know their individual health risks and use this awareness as a springboard for developing the healthy behaviours that can help to fend off lifestyle-related diseases,” Snyman concludes.
