Borough gets a health check with the My Heart My Life campaign

Councillor Daalat Ali having his blood pressure checked

Rochdale Borough Council has launched a new campaign that aims to improve the heart health of residents who are affected by or are at risk of developing a heart disease.

The ‘My Heart My Life’ campaign will focus on eating healthily, being more active, stopping smoking and supporting people in managing conditions such as blood pressure, increased cholesterol and diabetes.

The campaign started this week with the national ‘Know Your Numbers’ initiative which encourages everyone to check their blood pressure. Three blood pressure check stations were set up at Number One Riverside on Tuesday 6 September with nearly 100 people attending to have their blood pressure checked with varying results. Those whose numbers revealed that they were at risk were given lifestyle advice and signposted to their GP for further assessments. The checks are planned to occur regularly throughout the year, being held at local community venues and plan to include checks and support for all elements of the campaign.

Nearly seven million people in England are living with cardiovascular disease (CVD), which contributes to over a quarter of deaths each year. People from the most deprived populations are nearly four times more likely to die prematurely from CVD, compared to those from the most affluent populations.

During 2021/22, in the borough of Rochdale, there were nearly 3,000 emergency admissions of residents with CVD to hospital.

CVD causes around 21 per cent of all deaths in Rochdale and is strongly related to age as the numbers increase substantially with age for both men and women.

Councillor Daalat Ali, joint deputy leader and cabinet member for health at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We want to help improve people’s lives, help people access the services provided and help inform people to know what to do in order to reduce the risks and improve their lifestyles.

“Although strategies for preventing CVD and managing the risk factors are well established, we want to improve, expand and advance ways of identifying people at risk and provide timely access to treatment and care for those affected. Often heart attacks and strokes are preventable through lifestyle and behaviour changes. We hope that everyone takes up our offer when we hold our My Heart My Life events in their local areas.”