Curbing cardio disease in India and Canada
Scott Lear, 778.782.7916; salear@sfu.ca, SLear@providencehealth.bc.ca
Arun Garg, 604.520.4330; Arun.Garg@fraserhealth.ca
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323/3210
Note: Scott Lear is not able to attend this conference but is available this week to provide comment and talk about his research
Simon Fraser University researchers will join key global experts later this week in a search for solutions to the critical rise of cardiovascular health-related illness in Canada and India.
The Canada India Cardiovascular Health Conference 2010 runs June 19–23 at SFU’s Surrey campus. It is billed as a landmark meeting of minds to lay groundwork for curbing the burgeoning human and financial cost of cardiovascular disease.
Statistics show people in India and those of Indian heritage living in Canada have three to five times more incidents of cardiovascular disease – and higher rates of diabetes - than the general population.
"Teaching awareness and supporting lifestyle changes is imperative at both the individual and societal level if we are to reduce the burden of these diseases," says Scott Lear, an associate professor of health sciences at SFU who studies disparities of heart disease rates across ethnic groups.
“People of Indian background comprise one of the fastest growing groups in Canada, but unfortunately also have some of the highest diabetes and heart disease rates. In India alone, over 32 million people have diabetes—more than the entire population of Canada.”
Lear found that people of Indian descent store more fat around their waist than other ethnic groups, putting them at greater risk for diabetes and heart disease. He has also shown that immigrants are at a disadvantage with respect to heart health.
Lear is working to develop new prevention strategies for Indo-Canadians and other ethnic groups. Recent funding will help him learn how heart health changes in different ethnic groups and create communities that support heart health.
The conference will draw more than 150 leaders from medicine, academia and industry from both India and Canada who will participate in clinical practice exchanges, establish networking opportunities and develop research collaborations.
Highlights will include a public forum on healthy living (at Kwantlen University) on June 19, 1-5 p.m.; a keynote address by Dr. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Heath Foundation of India (June 21); and the integration of Yoga, Panayam and Ayurvedic knowledge, traditionally used in pain management practice, in workshop sessions June 22 and 23.
Conference co-chair Arun Garg says the event is a widely anticipated opportunity to raise public awareness about the prevalence of cardiovascular disease as well as its status as the number one health care cost.
“The fact is that whether you are Asian or not, there is a big problem here,” says Garg, “and the closer we look at it the better the chance we have of bringing about change.”
Additional research on hearth health:
Lear is one of several SFU researchers carrying out cardio-related research. Among those attending the conference:
• Engineering science professor Ash Parameswaran is exploring how to build electronic sensors that can detect cardiovascular markers. His team is working with a local company, Metaara Medical Technologies, and will be participating to see how research collaboration can be furthered between SFU, local hospitals, and research groups and medical clinics in India.
• Health sciences professor Michel Joffres is a member of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care and will be tracking cardiovascular-related recommendations. He is currently working on various publications on hypertension in Canada and on the issue of salt and high blood pressure.
• Chris Aloia, a Master of Public Health student, spent last summer in India administering a questionnaire about the consumption of fast food to 200 residents of high- and low-income communities. He is currently studying how Tai Chi may be used an effective tool for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.