Introduction
In 1960s, the Finnish men thought that it was normal for them to suffer from chest pain before reaching the age of fifty. The common answer to them when asked if they had already suffering from heart disease was “not yet” among those between thirty to forty years. The men in Finland had a very huge death rate in the world due to heart disease. Though they lean from logging and farming jobs, their favorite food was cheese, sausage, salt, whole milk, butter and cigarettes. They rarely ate any vegetables or fruits, among other greens because they dismissed it saying it belongs to animals. However, the early 2000, the number had reduced drastically by eighty percent as a result of reductions in the risk factors such as high cholesterol, smoking and high blood pressure (Pritikin n. pag).
There have been comprehensive interventions on the community level as part of World Health Organization inter-health as well as the CINDI programmes in the North Karelia and the entire nation that are targeted at changing the health behaviors and risk factors at the population level (Puska et al. 419).
There are several ways that helped the Finnish people to reduce the risk of heart attacks propagated by Puska’s team after years of suffering as a result of heart attack, and they are discussed below. To begin, the risk factors for heart disease was reduced through a program that was called “the North Karelia Project” led by Puska, which played a role in adjusting the eating habits of the whole community, and later, the whole population in Finland. The main goals of the project were to lower hypertension, cut down the rate of smoking, and reduce cholesterol. This project introduced new lifestyle to the entire community and not only those with a high risk of attack. The project resulted in the total change on the entire environment, such as restaurants, supermarkets, cafeterias, and food industry because the project’s team had to ensure that each person can easily get healthy choices in their province (Hendley & Gorman n. pag.).
As a result of this project, the men and women of North Karelia are now living longer. The annual mortality rate by 1995 caused by coronary heart disease for men less than 65 years was reduced to around 73 percent before the program. Similarly, the reduction in deaths caused by cardiovascular disease in women is of the same magnitude as those of men. The evidence from the North Karelian Project has found out that by dealing with community’s lifestyle on issues relating to tobacco, exercise, and diet, the death rate caused by heart disease can be significantly reduced (Henkel 3).
The other way that was used to reduce the risk was to encourage people to engage in physical exercises. This was accomplished when the Finnish government passed an Act on Sports in 1980, requiring both the local and central governments to avail sports facilities, such as sports hall, pools, tracks and ice rinks to their citizens in order for them to engage in exercise. This has received great boost by the World Health Organization which has reported that there are a lot of health benefits to the people when they engage in physical activity (Capewell et al. n. pag.).
There are several other ways which have received a lot of boost because they help in reducing the risk factors. One of this is the fact put forward by Finnish researchers who have found out that those people who are married have a lower risk of getting heart attack as compared to those unmarried. This fact was reviewed after being collected from the register of those people who were over 35 years and have experienced heart problems (Brockway n. pag.).
Works cited
Brockway, L. S. Married Men and Women Have Lower Heart Attack Risk. Everyday Health, 31 Jan. 2013. Web 28 Oct. 2013. < http://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/married-men-and-women-have-lower-heart-attack-risk.aspx>.
Capewell, S., Ford, E. S., Croft, J. B., Critchley, J. A., Greenlund, K. J. & Labarthe, D. R.. Cardiovascular risk factor trends and potential for reducing coronary heart disease mortality in the United States of America. WHO, 8 Dec. 2009. Web 28 Oct. 2013.
Hendley, Joyce & Gorman, R. Moeller. Miracle Up North: How the people of Finland took a healthy message to heart. Eating Well, n. d. Web 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/miracle_up_north>.
Henkel, G. L. North Karelia Project Shows The World How To Reduce Heart Disease. Healthnavigators, n. d. Web 28 Oct. 2013. <http://healthnavigators.com/.pdf/art_nkareliaproject.pdf>.
Pritikin.com. Heart Disease Deaths Plunge 75%. Pritikin, n.d. Web 28 Oct. 2013.
Puska, P., Vartiainen, E., Tuomilehto, J., Salomaa, V. & Nissinen, A. Changes in premature deaths in Finland: successful long-term prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Bull World Health Organ 76.4 (1998): 419-425. Web 28 Oct. 2013.
