April 5th - Free Public Health Talk - Rossport, Co. Mayo

‘Lifestyle Change is the Key to a longer life’

The key to reducing your risk of heart disease is to be found in simple lifestyle changes. Croí, in collaboration with Mayo Primary, Community and Continuing Care are continuing a series of public talks to promote heart health and raise awareness of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease as part of their ‘Heart Smart’ Mayo Programme.

A FREE Public Meeting and open forum on ‘Reducing Your Risk of Heart Disease – Making Changes for a Healthy You’ will take place on Tuesday 5th April at 8pm in Ionad Lae Greannaí, Cornboy, Rossport. The guest speaker is Ailish Houlihan, Co-ordinator of the ‘Heart Smart’ Mayo Programme.

The ‘Heart Smart’ Mayo Programme aims to reduce the impact of heart disease and stroke in Mayo and recently launched a report on the findings of a year long community based cardiac risk factor screening programme in Co. Mayo. A total 1,541 people availed of ‘free-of-charge’ cardiac risk assessments, which found that almost half (49%) the participants had raised cholesterol (above the recommended levels) and 40% had raised blood pressure.

“Knowing your risks is key” says Ailish Houlihan, Co-ordinator of the ‘Heart Smart’ Mayo Programme who encourages individuals to know the recommended target levels for risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol and advocates having a comprehensive cardiovascular check-up with a General Practitioner. “The findings from the ‘Heart Smart’ Mayo Programme are consistent with previous research, conducted by Croí, highlighting that there is a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among the general population” she says. “The good news, however, is that these risks can be measurably reduced by making simple lifestyle changes including changes to diet and exercise.”