Heart-healthy celebration in Uganda marks presentation of ProCor's 2009 Louise Lown Heart Hero Award
Dear ProCor colleagues,
Be Alive With Your Heart, a grassroots effort in Uganda that promotes heart
health from childhood through old age, was presented with ProCor's globally
recognized Louise Lown Heart Hero Award on 22 September, 2009 at a heart-healthy
celebration attracting more than 100 people in Wakiso District, Uganda.
Developing countries like Uganda bear 80% of the global burden of death from
cardiovascular disease and related chronic diseases like diabetes and
hypertension. The vast majority of these deaths can be prevented through healthy
nutrition, physical activity, and elimination of tobacco use or exposure.
"While heart diseases are clearly an increasing national issue, the solution
lies at the grassroot levels," stated Dr Paul Namwanja, representative from the
Ministry of Health and Medical Superintendent of Namuggona Hospital. "We applaud
the commitment of Be Alive with Your Heart Uganda and ProCor to increasing
public awareness about cardiovascular health at local and international levels
respectively."
Mayor Moses Wandyaka presented the award to Edward Buzigi, the program's
coordinator, who, with other health care providers at Be-Alive Uganda Medical
Center, launched the program after noticing a striking increase in the number of
hospital patients with heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Data
from the District Health Officer confirmed that chronic diseases were rapidly
increasing: nearly 50% of Wakiso District's population was hypertensive and
nearly 20% were obese.
Having lost much of one generation to HIV/AIDS, the hospital's board and staff
decided take action to prevent the new health threat posed by cardiovascular
disease and its risk factors.
"Many people have changed their lifestyle," Mr. Buzigi explained. "People do
less exercise and no longer eat nutritious food." To reverse the local trend
toward a "Western" diet of processed foods that are high in fat, salt, and
sugar, schools and households are encouraged to plant backyard gardens with
produce that grows well in the district, like beans, bananas, tomatoes,
avocados, carrots, cabbage, and green leafy vegetables. More than 40 schools
have planted vegetable and fruit gardens in the last two years, and nearly 200
households now have small backyard farms.
Project staff and volunteer nutrition students from Kyambogo University also
provide education on nutrition and physical activity in schools, homes, public
eating places, and worksites. They offer screenings for risk factors like
hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, and organize heart-healthy activities like
fitness walks for the public.
"Heart disease is a major health problem now in developing countries like
Uganda, and we are happy that ProCor is promoting heart health in such poor
countries," Mayor Moses Wandyaka of Nansana Wakiso District Town Council
commented during the presentation. "We feel convinced that the residents of
Wakiso District will learn a lot while having a great time with Be Alive With
Your Heart."
More than 100 program staff, volunteers, and participants attended the
presentation celebration, at which heart-healthy foods like low-fat yogurt and
sweet tropical bananas were served as refreshments.
Edward reports that the $2000 award funding will help the program install
internet services, buy a secondhand computer to improve their capacity for data
management and analysis, and expand to another sub-county in Wakiso District. He
is also hopeful that the award's visibility will help attract further funding.
The program's sole source of funding is Alex Wambi, who was raised in the
district and now lives in the UK. She began supporting the program after
observing the benefits first-hand--her mother Sarah's obesity and hypertension
were effectively managed, at no cost, through the program.
"Making visible what otherwise would go unnoticed" is the goal of the Louise
Lown Heart Hero Award, according to Dr. Bernard Lown, ProCor's founder and
chair. The annual award, now in its third year, recognizes innovative,
preventive approaches to cardiovascular health in developing countries. Although
the monetary amount of the award is modest, it is globally recognized and
provides international visibility that can help attract funding and other
support. The award was established in 2007 by Dr. Lown, an internationally
renowned cardiologist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, to honor his wife,
Louise, and her lifelong commitment to the rights and well-being of others as a
social worker, activist, and writer.
ProCor (www.procor.org), a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research
Foundation in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA is an international health
communication network working to prevent global cardiovascular disease by
increasing access to information about preventive strategies that can be
translated into action in clinical, research, policy, and community settings.
For more information, contact:
Catherine Coleman, Editor in Chief, ProCor
Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Center, 21 Longwood Avenue, Brookline,
Massachusetts, 02446 USA
Telephone: 1 617 732 1318 x3332
Email: ccoleman5@partners.org
Be Alive With Your Heart, a grassroots effort in Uganda that promotes heart
health from childhood through old age, was presented with ProCor's globally
recognized Louise Lown Heart Hero Award on 22 September, 2009 at a heart-healthy
celebration attracting more than 100 people in Wakiso District, Uganda.
Developing countries like Uganda bear 80% of the global burden of death from
cardiovascular disease and related chronic diseases like diabetes and
hypertension. The vast majority of these deaths can be prevented through healthy
nutrition, physical activity, and elimination of tobacco use or exposure.
"While heart diseases are clearly an increasing national issue, the solution
lies at the grassroot levels," stated Dr Paul Namwanja, representative from the
Ministry of Health and Medical Superintendent of Namuggona Hospital. "We applaud
the commitment of Be Alive with Your Heart Uganda and ProCor to increasing
public awareness about cardiovascular health at local and international levels
respectively."
Mayor Moses Wandyaka presented the award to Edward Buzigi, the program's
coordinator, who, with other health care providers at Be-Alive Uganda Medical
Center, launched the program after noticing a striking increase in the number of
hospital patients with heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Data
from the District Health Officer confirmed that chronic diseases were rapidly
increasing: nearly 50% of Wakiso District's population was hypertensive and
nearly 20% were obese.
Having lost much of one generation to HIV/AIDS, the hospital's board and staff
decided take action to prevent the new health threat posed by cardiovascular
disease and its risk factors.
"Many people have changed their lifestyle," Mr. Buzigi explained. "People do
less exercise and no longer eat nutritious food." To reverse the local trend
toward a "Western" diet of processed foods that are high in fat, salt, and
sugar, schools and households are encouraged to plant backyard gardens with
produce that grows well in the district, like beans, bananas, tomatoes,
avocados, carrots, cabbage, and green leafy vegetables. More than 40 schools
have planted vegetable and fruit gardens in the last two years, and nearly 200
households now have small backyard farms.
Project staff and volunteer nutrition students from Kyambogo University also
provide education on nutrition and physical activity in schools, homes, public
eating places, and worksites. They offer screenings for risk factors like
hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, and organize heart-healthy activities like
fitness walks for the public.
"Heart disease is a major health problem now in developing countries like
Uganda, and we are happy that ProCor is promoting heart health in such poor
countries," Mayor Moses Wandyaka of Nansana Wakiso District Town Council
commented during the presentation. "We feel convinced that the residents of
Wakiso District will learn a lot while having a great time with Be Alive With
Your Heart."
More than 100 program staff, volunteers, and participants attended the
presentation celebration, at which heart-healthy foods like low-fat yogurt and
sweet tropical bananas were served as refreshments.
Edward reports that the $2000 award funding will help the program install
internet services, buy a secondhand computer to improve their capacity for data
management and analysis, and expand to another sub-county in Wakiso District. He
is also hopeful that the award's visibility will help attract further funding.
The program's sole source of funding is Alex Wambi, who was raised in the
district and now lives in the UK. She began supporting the program after
observing the benefits first-hand--her mother Sarah's obesity and hypertension
were effectively managed, at no cost, through the program.
"Making visible what otherwise would go unnoticed" is the goal of the Louise
Lown Heart Hero Award, according to Dr. Bernard Lown, ProCor's founder and
chair. The annual award, now in its third year, recognizes innovative,
preventive approaches to cardiovascular health in developing countries. Although
the monetary amount of the award is modest, it is globally recognized and
provides international visibility that can help attract funding and other
support. The award was established in 2007 by Dr. Lown, an internationally
renowned cardiologist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, to honor his wife,
Louise, and her lifelong commitment to the rights and well-being of others as a
social worker, activist, and writer.
ProCor (www.procor.org), a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research
Foundation in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA is an international health
communication network working to prevent global cardiovascular disease by
increasing access to information about preventive strategies that can be
translated into action in clinical, research, policy, and community settings.
For more information, contact:
Catherine Coleman, Editor in Chief, ProCor
Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Center, 21 Longwood Avenue, Brookline,
Massachusetts, 02446 USA
Telephone: 1 617 732 1318 x3332
Email: ccoleman5@partners.org
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