Over 80% Ind blame long working hrs as hurdle for heart health

Agencies

September 28, 2017

Mumbai, Sept 27: Even as people are aware of the risk parameters, 80 percent respondents said long working hours is the biggest hurdle for not able to do enough for their heart health, according to a study.

"Long working hours (80 percent), long travelling hours (69 percent) is seen as a reason people are not able to do enough for their heart health. This is also an indication for the increasing sedentary lifestyle in India," according to the Saffolalife Study 2017.

This study was conducted among 1,306 respondents across Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.

About 76 per cent Indians feel that job or business stress prevents them from making healthy efforts, while 69 per cent Indians feel that they don't know where their time goes because they are always on a tablet or phone, it said.

This trend was seen to be similar across age groups contrary to popular belief that use of technology is more in the younger age group, it added.

About 74 per cent Indians said they don't get enough sleep, which is a barrier to their heart health, it added.

It also revealed that 83 per cent Indians said temptation of tasty food is a barrier to heart health. Temptation for tasty food is higher for age group of 35-44 years, it added.

The study found that 81 per cent women feel that household work takes up a lot of their time, which is a reason they don't get time to put in the required efforts to stay healthy.

"While there is a rising awareness about heart health, compliance and action is a big area of concern in India. It is important to adopting ways to stay heart healthy despite changing food habits, long working hours and increase in work stress, which have become part and parcel of our modern day lifestyles. Our modern lifestyle has made us sedentary, in office, while travelling and even at home," Lilavati Hospital and Research Institute Senior Endocrinologist and President of Hypertension Society of India Dr Shashank Joshi said.

India, he said, is seeing a rise in health conscious individuals as international health trends are leaving impressions at a rapid pace.

"Despite the continuous propagation of leading healthier lives, India continues to see alarming heart health statistics. It's time we translate this awareness into action, and overcome the barriers that come in the way to stay heart healthy. Identifying these barriers is the first step towards overcoming them," he added.

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WHO says reviewing report on concerns over airborne spread of Covid-19

Agencies

July 7,2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) is reviewing a report that suggested its advice on the novel coronavirus needs updating after some scientists told the New York Times there was evidence the virus could be spread by tiny particles in the air.

The WHO says the Covid-19 disease spreads primarily through small droplets, which are expelled from the nose and mouth when an infected person breaths them out in coughs, sneezes, speech or laughter and quickly sink to the ground.

In an open letter to the Geneva-based agency, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined the evidence they say shows that smaller exhaled particles can infect people who inhale them, the newspaper said on Saturday.

Because those smaller particles can linger in the air longer, the scientists - who plan to publish their findings in a scientific journal this week - are urging WHO to update its guidance, the Times said.

"We are aware of the article and are reviewing its contents with our technical experts," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said in an email reply on Monday to a Reuters request for comment.

The extent to which the coronavirus can be spread by the so-called airborne or aerosol route - as opposed to by larger droplets in coughs and sneezes - remains disputed.

Any change in the WHO's assessment of the risk of transmission could affect its current advice on keeping one-metre physical distancing. Governments, which also rely on the agency for guidance policy, may also have to adjust public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

"Especially in the last couple of months, we have been stating several times that we consider airborne transmission as possible but certainly not supported by solid or even clear evidence," Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO's technical lead for infection prevention and control, was quoted as saying in the New York Times.

WHO guidance to health workers, dated June 29, says that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and on surfaces.

But airborne transmission via smaller particles is possible in some circumstances, such as when performing intubation and aerosol-generating procedures, it says.

Medical workers performing such procedures should wear heavy-duty N95 respiratory masks and other protective equipment in an adequately ventilated room, the WHO says.

Officials at South Korea's Centers for Disease Control said on Monday they were continuing to discuss various issues about Covid-19, including the possible airborne transmission. They said more investigations and evidence were needed.

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Low fruit, vegetable intake makes people vulnerable to anxiety: Study

Agencies

February 27,2020

Washington D.C, Feb 27: New research shows that adults who have low fruit and vegetable intake are more likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

"For those who consumed less than 3 sources of fruits and vegetables daily, there was at least at 24% higher odds of anxiety disorder diagnosis," says the lead author of the Canadian Longitudinal Study, Karen Davison, who is a health science faculty member, nutrition informatics lab director at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, (KPU) and North American Primary Care Research Group Fellow.

"This may also partly explain the findings associated with body composition measures. As levels of total body fat increased beyond 36%, the likelihood of anxiety disorder was increased by more than 70%," states co-author Jose Mora-Almanza, a Mitacs Globalink intern who worked with the study at KPU.

"Increased body fat may be linked to greater inflammation. Emerging research suggests that some anxiety disorders can be linked to inflammation," says Davison.

In addition to diet and body composition measures, the prevalence of anxiety disorders also differed by gender, marital status, income, immigrant status and several health issues.

An important limitation of the study was that the assessment of anxiety disorders was mostly based upon self-reporting of a medical diagnosis.

"It is estimated that 10% of the global population will suffer from anxiety disorders which are a leading cause of disability," says Karen Davison

"Our findings suggest that comprehensive approaches that target health behaviours, including diet, as well as social factors, such as economic status, may help to minimize the burden of anxiety disorders among middle-aged and older adults, including immigrants," she concluded.

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