Chatham-Kent’s above-average rate of heart disease is a concern for the municipality’s top doc.
Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, acting medical officer of health, said Chatham-Kent’s heart disease rate is about 30 per cent higher than the provincial average.
And it’s killing people.
“If the rate was the provincial average, we’d probably have 30 less deaths a year,” Nesathurai told the board of health recently.
In 2021, 154 people in Chatham-Kent died of heart disease.
Nesathurai said risk factors include diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, but also include bad habits such as smoking and physical inactivity.
“Physical activity is a preventative to cardiovascular disease,” he said. “Physical literacy is not just about participating in organized sports; it’s about incorporating physical activity in all facets in all areas of life.”
He said community planning should include subdivisions with sidewalks and bike paths – items that promote exercise.
“The built environment has to include both public and private space,” Nesathurai said. “We need to advocate for policy to include physical literacy.”
