With September marking the start of Heart Awareness Month in South Africa, there’s a spotlight once again on the burden of heart-related conditions in South Africa. Laager Rooibos and partner dietician Mbali Mapholi are on a mission to change this by challenging South Africans to improve heart health day by day with an easy-to-follow Laager Heart Month Calendar.
Non-communicable diseases, which include strokes, diabetes, heart attacks, cancer and chronic respiratory disease, are the leading cause of death worldwide. According to data from the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) – a partner of the National Department of Health, the statistics in South Africa are particularly worrying:
- One in three South African adults has hypertension (high blood pressure) which heightens the risk of strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, and kidney disease.
- An average of 10 adults suffer from a stroke every hour in South Africa.
- In South Africa, 225 people die from either heart disease or a stroke every day.
- Strokes and heart disease are responsible for one in six deaths in the country.
- It’s estimated that around 80% of deaths caused by strokes and heart disease could have been prevented through healthy lifestyle choices.
In light of this, the HSFSA created Heart Awareness Month, which culminates in World Heart Day on 29th September which is commemorated globally. Prof Pamela Naidoo, CEO of HSFSA, said there was an urgent need to adopt healthier heart habits: “Cardiovascular disease remains a public health challenge given that it remains the highest burden of all the non-communicable diseases.”
Dietitian and Laager Rooibos partner, Mbali Mapholi, explained that changing this reality doesn’t necessarily require a complete lifestyle overhaul: “Many South Africans want to get healthier, but they don’t know where to start. It can feel overwhelming trying to break years of bad eating and bad habits, but it all starts with small changes.”
Against this backdrop, Mapholi and Laager Rooibos – the only Rooibos teabag that carries the HSFSA Heart Mark identifying heart-healthy products – came up with the Laager Rooibos Heart Health Calendar.
This is an innovative solution that makes it easier for everyday South Africans to improve their overall well-being this Heart Awareness Month. Through achievable daily activities, this calendar will help South Africans to create heart-healthy habits that will set them up to improve their long-term heart health.
“They say it takes 21 days to build a habit and 90 days to make it a permanent lifestyle change,” explained Candice Sessions, Laager Rooibos Marketing Manager. “That may seem daunting, but taking small steps in the right direction daily is the key. Healthier routines aren’t developed overnight; they take time and consistency.”
“Promoting heart health is something that Laager Rooibos is committed to, which is why we’re encouraging as many people as possible to follow the Laager Rooibos Heart Health Calendar,” continued Sessions. “These daily heart-healthy acts will soon become habits. The right time to take heart health seriously is now.”
