Globally Singapore has the lowest disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and attributable factors
Yes. Singapore can feel justifiably proud. Based on the findings of the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study (GBD 2019), “Singapore was ranked first globally for life expectancy (LE) at birth and healthy life expectancy (HALE) at birth, with the lowest Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per 100,000 population in the world.”
DALYs is a measure of overall disease burden expressed as the number of years lived with ill-health and some degree of disablement. With better lifestyle such disabled years will decrease.
Credit due
The credit is due to the generations of directors of public health practitioners, doctors and nurses in the Health Promotion Board and the Ministry of Health working assiduously from as far back as the 1980s changing lifestyle and promoting healthier behaviours. Today we enjoy the fruits of their labour. But we must not rest on our laurels.
Where do we go from here?
We need to continuously work on the three highs and also central obesity. These often go undetected. Together they form the deadly quartet of chronic diseases. In this post we will talk on how to control the first high which is high blood pressure. In subsequent postings we will talk about how to control high blood cholesterol, and high blood sugar and central obesity.
Blood pressure control
1-How is blood pressure diagnosed?
High blood pressure may not produce any symptoms. The only way to find out is to get regular blood pressure checks from your health care provider, particularly if high blood pressure risk factors are present. Your health care provider uses blood pressure set to measure your blood pressure. Two or more readings are required to confirm there is high blood pressure.
2-Who are at risk for high blood pressure?
Anyone can develop high blood pressure. There are known factors that increase your risk of high blood pressure. These are:
- Weight. People who are overweight or have obesity are more likely to have high blood pressure.
- Lifestyle. Certain lifestyle habits can increase the risk of high blood pressure, such as eating too much salt, not enough exercise, drinking too much alcohol, or smoking.
- Family history. A family history of high blood pressure increases the risk of having high blood pressure.
- Sex. Before age 55, men are more prone than women to have high blood pressure. After age 55, women are more likely than men to develop it.
- Age, Blood pressure tends to increase with age.
- Others. Race and ethnic group.
3-Preventing high blood pressure
Having a healthy lifestyle goes a long way to prevent high blood pressure from developing. This means:
- Eating a healthy diet. Taking an excessive quantity of rice and starchy foods like kuay teow, noodles, or chapatti. The entitlement for a sedentary person per meal is only 2 slices of bread, two tablespoonsful of rice or equivalent. Excessive intake of these foods is a common cause of overweight and with that increased risk of blood pressure.
- Exercising regularly. Walking 30 min to 1 hour five days a week goes a long way to reduce obesity and overweight.
- Limiting alcohol. Men should have no more than two drinks per day, and women only one.
- Not smoking. Cigarette smoking raises blood pressure and also increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Reduction of blood pressure and risk of stroke and heart attack results at whichever age you decide to quit. It is never too late to quit.
Take home messages
Check your blood pressure today if you have not yet done so for some time, and especially if you have one or more risk factors like, being overweight, are smoking, taking alcohol. Take control of your blood pressure today.
Dr LG Goh
Dr GOH Lee Gan is a retired Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, National University Health System. He has an interest in learning and teaching how we can age well everyday (AWE).
