Sep 26, 2017

IJN and Philips Malaysia unveil six secrets for a healthy heart

Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) and Philips partner to unveil the six secrets to healthy heart in the 3^rd year of the FatCheck programme to promote Healthy Hearts among Malaysians

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – For the third consecutive year, Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) and Philips Malaysia are collaborating in the FATCHECK For A Healthy Heart community education programme. – with the unveiling of the ‘Six Secrets for a Healthy Heart’ campaign today. The campaign is held in support of the World Heart Federation (WHF)’s annual World Heart Day celebration on 29 September, which seeks to increase awareness on cardiovascular diseases.

Heart disease – a growing concern

According to the World Heart Federation (WHF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), heart diseases remain the number one cause of death globally with an estimated 17.7 million deaths in 2015, representing 31% of all global deaths. Likewise, in Malaysia, diseases of the circulatory system make up the number one cause of death in Malaysia, comprising 27.7% of all deaths in private hospitals and 22.77% of all deaths in Government-run hospitals in 2015.

“With many Malaysians at risk of developing heart disease, we need to urgently address this issue. The first thing people usually assume is that to achieve a healthier life, we need to change our choice of food and drinks. While that may be true, we also need to change the way we live. The WHO has identified several behavioural risk factors which contribute to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol. That’s why the FATCHECK For A Healthy Heart programme this year has taken the approach of getting the public to take their health into their own hands with our six simple secrets to a healthy heart,” said Datuk Dr Aizai Azan Abdul Rahim, Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Consultant Cardiologist at IJN.

In line with this, the ‘Six Secrets for a Healthy Heart’ campaign has produced an advocacy video and will be mounting a series of educational social media posts to continue increasing the community’s awareness about cardiovascular diseases and the impact on Malaysians. The educational video shows the six life changing ways to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle which reflect the behavioural risks identified by the WHO. These include:

Having a physically active lifestyle
Not smoking
Managing stress levels in our life
Getting regular medical check-ups
Eating a healthy diet; and
Practising low-fat heart healthy cooking, by airfrying meals

Bijal Shah, Head of Health Systems, Philips Malaysia shared, “We are excited to be working with IJN again to encourage heart-healthy diets among Malaysians as part of this year’s FATCHECK For A Healthy Heart programme. As a global leader in health technology, Philips has been partnering with the World Heart Federation (WHF) in recent years to promote the prevention of heart disease especially in conjunction with World Heart Day. At Philips, we believe healthy food and drink are the building blocks of our wellbeing, but this doesn’t mean we should give up the delicious foods that we love. Philips’ kitchen appliances such as the Philips Airfryer, are designed to make preparing healthy yet tasty meals at home easier, thus helping everyone achieve a balanced, nutritious, heart-healthy diet.”

Philips Airfryer – a partner in heart-healthy diets

According to Mary Easaw, Chief Dietitian of IJN, the key to heart-healthy eating is a balanced diet in moderation, and with variety. A high-fat diet is particularly harmful because it can contribute to excessive weight, high cholesterol and high blood pressure – all of which can lead to a heart attack. “Telling someone to forgo their favourite deep-fried dishes is a challenge. This is why we are glad to collaborate with Philips Malaysia once more on the FATCHECK programme to advocate low-fat cooking using the Airfryer as one of the six ways one can practice a heart-healthy lifestyle,” she said.

Heart disease – a growing concern

According to the World Heart Federation (WHF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), heart diseases remain the number one cause of death globally with an estimated 17.7 million deaths in 2015, representing 31% of all global deaths . Likewise, in Malaysia, diseases of the circulatory system make up the number one cause of death in Malaysia, comprising 27.7% of all deaths in private hospitals and 22.77% of all deaths in Government-run hospitals in 2015.

We are excited to be working with IJN again to encourage heart-healthy diets among Malaysians as part of this year’s FATCHECK For A Healthy Heart programme. As a global leader in health technology, Philips has been partnering with the World Heart Federation (WHF) in recent years to promote the prevention of heart disease especially in conjunction with World Heart Day. At Philips, we believe healthy food and drink are the building blocks of our wellbeing, but this doesn’t mean we should give up the delicious foods that we love. Philips’ kitchen appliances such as the Philips Airfryer, are designed to make preparing healthy yet tasty meals at home easier, thus helping everyone achieve a balanced, nutritious, heart-healthy diet

Bijal Shah

Head of Health Systems, Philips Malaysia

With many Malaysians at risk of developing heart disease, we need to urgently address this issue. The first thing people usually assume is that to achieve a healthier life, we need to change our choice of food and drinks. While that may be true, we also need to change the way we live. The WHO has identified several behavioural risk factors which contribute to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol. That’s why the FATCHECK For A Healthy Heart programme this year has taken the approach of getting the public to take their health into their own hands with our six simple secrets to a healthy heart

Datuk Dr Aizai Azan Abdul Rahim

Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Consultant Cardiologist at IJN

^[1] World Health Organization, May 2017, Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/

^[2] Ministry of Health Malaysia, August 2016, Health Facts 2016,

http://www.moh.gov.my/images/gallery/publications/KKM%20HEALTH%20FACTS%202016.pdf

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 70,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscentre

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About FATCHECK

FATCHECK is a community education programme to promote a low-fat, heart-healthy diet. The programme aims to educate the public on the impact of high fat intake on heart disease risk, and provides innovative and practical solutions for low-fat, heart-healthy cooking using the Philips Airfryer.

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About Institut Jantung Negara (IJN)

IJN was established on 1 August 1992 as a heart specialist institution committed to delivering advanced standards in cardiovascular and thoracic medicine for adult and paediatric heart patients. Since the inception of the institute, IJN has treated over a million patients and gained recognition as one of the leading cardiovascular and thoracic health centres in the region.

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