The prevalence of hypertension and heart disease is increasing among the youths of Bangladesh due to various reasons including dietary habits and lifestyle. Screening for hypertension and availability of anti-hypertensive medicine must be ensured at all Community Clinics and Upazilla Health Complexes across the country. Speakers highlighted this information at a webinar titled “Risks of Hypertension, Heart Diseases and the Youths of Bangladesh” organized by research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) marking International Youth Day 2023 on Saturday August 12, 2023. The webinar was supported by Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) and co-organized by youth organizations- Youth Club of Bangladesh, Kashful Foundation, It’s Humanity Foundation, Give Bangladesh, and Sandhani.
It was informed at the webinar that one in every four adults in Bangladesh suffers from hypertension and this vulnerability is growing increasingly among the youths. The country’s current youth population is 45.9 million which is one-fourth of Bangladesh’s total population. Effective measures are urgently required to protect this large group of youth population from the risks of hypertension and heart disease.
Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of Department of Epidemiology & Research, National Heart Foundation said, “Increased prevalence of hypertension and heart diseases is being noticed among the youth along with adults which can be reduced by changing lifestyle, dietary habits and measuring blood pressure.”
Dr. Mohammad Sabbir Haider, Program Manager (CBHC), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) informed at the webinar, “The government is implementing various programs related to lifestyle modification to combat the risk of hypertension among the youth. A decision has already been taken to provide anti-hypertensive medicine from all Community Clinics and its implementation will reduce the prevalence of hypertension among the entire population of the country, including the youths.”
ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA was also present at the webinar as one of the discussants. The webinar was moderated by PROGGA’s Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova. People of different professions from different regions of the country participated in the webinar.