The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) has called for heart-health education in schools to instil healthy lifestyle habits in children and reduce the incidence and mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Nigeria.

The foundation made the call during a press conference in Lagos to commemorate this year’s World Heart Day (WHD), saying taking heart-health awareness to classrooms would help “catch them young” and encourage healthy habits from an early age.

Executive Director of the NHF, Dr Kingsley Akinroye, said heart disease often begins early and accumulates over the years, stressing that preventive measures should not be delayed until middle age.

He urged schools to teach children healthy diets and physical activity, saying early education could help them resist peer pressure and other social influences that encourage behaviours harmful to heart health.

Akinroye said the WHD commemoration provided an opportunity to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases, which he described as a major global health challenge.

According to him, of the 63 million deaths recorded each year globally, 19.8 million are caused by cardiovascular diseases, while more than 235,000 people die from the diseases annually in Nigeria.

He said at least 80 per cent of premature deaths from heart disease could be prevented by controlling five major risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, harmful alcohol consumption and air pollution.

Akinroye said the need for healthy diets had become increasingly important in Nigeria amid rising consumption of junk food, sedentary lifestyles, air pollution, alcohol and tobacco use.

He warned that cardiovascular diseases could remain undetected until they become severe, urging greater attention to prevention and early intervention.

He said without national cardiovascular disease action plans and universal access to treatment, deaths from the diseases would continue to rise.

Akinroye said the NHF was working with members of the World Heart Federation to promote awareness that controlling major cardiovascular disease risk factors could significantly reduce premature deaths.

He urged teachers to play a greater role in promoting physical activity and healthy diets among students, saying schools were critical to shaping lifelong health behaviours.

The NHF executive director also announced the return of the “Keep the Beat” challenge, which encourages Nigerians to become more physically active throughout September.

He said last year’s challenge attracted participants who pledged to engage in various forms of exercise, including walking, yoga and rock climbing.

Akinroye urged Nigerians to embrace healthier lifestyles and make regular physical activity, healthy diets and other preventive measures part of their daily routines.