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Heartline Magazine July - September 2007
CEO's Outlook
Fatty Cigarette saves lives - Anti-smoking campaign
The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados
recognises that there is a need to sensitise the Barbadian
public by means of an effective, impactful mass media anti
smoking campaign to raise the awareness of the link between
heart disease and smoking.
One of the major risk factors related to
heart disease is that of smoking. Smoking is a cause of heart
disease because it leads to the narrowing and blocking of
vessels that carry the blood to the heart muscle. Smoking
reduces the amount of available oxygen in the blood, causing the
heart to work harder.
People who smoke have an increased level of
atherosclerosis in their coronary arteries. This is a build-up
of fatty material - called atheroma - which can cause the inside
lining of the artery to rupture, leading to a clot. If a clot
forms in a narrowed coronary artery, the artery can suddenly get
blocked.
This means part of the heart muscle loses
its supply of blood and oxygen, resulting in part of the heart
muscle being damaged. This is a heart attack, also known as a
myocardial infarction - myocardium refers to the heart muscle
and infarction refers to the death of a part of it. A heart
attack can cause severe chest pain, but other symptoms include
shortness of breath, nausea, heaviness or tightness in the
chest, stomach, arms, shoulder or jaw. Some heart attacks only
cause a small amount of damage to heart muscle. In these cases,
people can recover quite quickly. However, if a large part of
the muscle gets damaged, it may limit the heart's pumping
efficiency.
A survey of patients of the Queen Elizabeth
Hospital here in Barbados showed that cardiovascular diseases
i.e. hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, peripheral vascular
disease were more than twice as common in smokers than in non
smokers. To quote further from the survey' summary:
• Smokers were over-represented in medical
hospital admissions.
• Male predominance of smoking admissions.
• Four fifths of smokers started before 21 years of age.
• Admissions with cardiovascular diseases were twice as common
in smokers.
Therefore this campaign will seek to attempt
to reverse these trends. The campaign's specific measurable
objectives are quite simple - achievement of all of the
following within the timescale of the campaign:
• Production of Barbados version of a
video clip based on British Heart Foundation's media campaign
of 2004 entitled “Fatty Cigarette” - to be used as a
television advert and at local cinemas.
• Printing of a range of booklets on topics such as “Smoking
and your Heart” and “Smoking and how to give it up” to be
distributed to the population of Barbados.
• A media campaign on local radio through a weekly slot on the
disabilities programme.
• The setting up of a specific website “Smoking and the heart”
with links to other related websites in the anti-smoking world
and those dealing with heart disease.
• Production of a range of warning leaflets such as “Finding
it hard to live with smoking” to be distributed throughout
Barbados.
• A media campaign in the national press aimed at promoting
the “Fatty Cigarette” image by a range of adverts.
• Production of a series of mail shots to all households in
Barbados carrying the message that smoking kills, and the link
to heart disease.
Provided funding is obtained (application,
amongst others, has been made to Bloomberg), the campaign will
commence early in 2008.
Adrian J L Randall
Chief Executive Officer
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados
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