Public campaign promotes cardiovascular awareness

Participants celebrate for setting a new Guinness World Record for outdoor public exercise focused on cardiovascular health for people over the age of 45 in Beijing on Sept 28. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Cardiovascular disease has become the number one cause of death in China and elderly and middle-aged people are at the greatest risk. As World Heart Day approaches, a new daily exercise routine to maintain a healthy heart was introduced at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing on September 28, 2013.

The new "JIANXIN Health Exercise" routine is part of a public education campaign, launched by global food giant Nestle, in cooperation with the China Cholesterol Education Program. The campaign is aimed to raise public awareness on cardiovascular disease prevention and provide guidance on healthy and nutritious dietary and lifestyle habits for elderly and middle-aged people.

A public demonstration of an exercise performed by over 3,000 people from 12 Beijing districts set a new Guinness World Record for outdoor public exercise focusing on cardiovascular health for people over the age of 45.

The special exercise routine combined elements of traditional Chinese exercises while also incorporating valuable aspects of sports medicine along with a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

The health program will be promoted in ten cities across China through the "2013 Elderly Care - Health Project" led by the All-China Women's Federation and the National Committee on Ageing.

"What's most important is for us is to have good, reliable information about how to keep our hearts healthy and then to take action," said Roland Decorvet, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé in the Greater China Region.

In addition to introducing the special exercise routine, the project will also distribute one million senior health brochures in ten cities offering day-to-day guidance on healthy and nutritious dietary and lifestyle habits.

World Heart Day is globally held on the last Sunday of September each year to inform people about various cardiovascular diseases, which are the biggest causes of death worldwide. The campaign also aims to promote preventative measures that can help people reduce the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease.