Gauteng Health has warned of a rise in high blood pressure diagnoses among the province’s young adults, amid deteriorating lifestyle habits, reports The Citizen.
Rising obesity, said the department, is fuelling diabetes, hypertension (once considered “an older person’s disease”), strokes and heart disease, with recent statistics showing at least half of South African adults are overweight.
Gauteng residents are increasingly working long hours, living sedentary lifestyles, doing limited physical activity and increasing consumption of processed foods, coupled with alcohol and tobacco use.
The province had recorded more than 67 000 newly detected cases of hypertension in the past 12 months, with more than 25 000 being among adults aged 18 to 44 and at least 42 000 among those aged 45 and older.
In a statement last week as South Africa commemorated Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Day, the department added that during the same period, more than 8.7m adults were screened for hypertension across the province.
Long-term trends have highlighted the scale of the problem, with hypertension prevalence having increased over the years from 29% to 49% among men and from 34% to 51% among women.
Gauteng’s MEC for Health & Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko has urged people to join the department’s #AsibeHealthyGP campaign and participate in Wellness Wednesdays by dedicating a few minutes once a week to physical activity.
The Citizen article – Gauteng’s youth face rising high blood pressure as obesity soars (Open access)
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