Monitoring our health is a booming business in South Holland, but measuring blood pressure is still lagging behind. This is evident from a study by Etos among more than 3000 Dutch women. 94% of the female Netherlands knows that high blood pressure increases the risk of heart failure, stroke or myocardial infarction. Yet more than half of women between the ages of 40 and 59 say they never measure their blood pressure. “Measuring your blood pressure should actually be routine for women from the age of 40,” says professor of cardiovascular disease in women Hester den Ruijter (UMC Utrecht). “It’s fantastic that 80% of women indicate that they are regularly concerned with their health, insight into your own blood pressure is certainly part of that.
Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death among women in the Netherlands. 1 in 3 Dutch people between the ages of 30 and 70 have high blood pressure, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is therefore noteworthy that the study shows that 2 in 3 women with a family history of cardiovascular disease never measure their blood pressure at home. You usually do not notice high blood pressure. Even if you eat healthy and exercise a lot you can have high blood pressure. It is therefore important to measure blood pressure annually from the age of 40.
Extra attention
Sandra Driessen of Etos Rotterdam: “Every week we get a lot of questions about what exactly healthy blood pressure is. As a result, I had the suspicion that there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding blood pressure measurement. I hope that with this campaign we will achieve that more residents of and beyond will regularly measure their blood pressure at home. Especially now that I know that you usually do not notice high blood pressure. Measuring blood pressure is still too often forgotten! ” says Sandra Driessen of Etos Rotterdam.
Limited knowledge of blood pressure in South Holland
In addition, the research shows that the ready knowledge about blood pressure is limited. Statements such as “Blood pressure means that your heart is beating faster” and “Healthy blood pressure is different for women than for men” were not answered correctly by 56% and 69% respectively. 72% of the respondents think that high blood pressure causes symptoms, while it does not have to be. This can damage your blood vessels and your heart unnoticed by prolonged high pressure.
Woldy Stam (Etos Training): “The employees in the store are our ears and eyes. Since the corona pandemic, they have seen that customers are more aware of their health. More questions are being asked about blood pressure and what you can do to stay healthy. This led us to the conclusion that there is still a lot to be gained when it comes to healthy blood pressure. The current campaign will hopefully invite more Dutch people to ask their questions about healthy living at Etos in an accessible way. A certified (assistant) chemist is always present in all our stores to provide customers with expert advice. “
Health measure popular
80% of the respondents measure at least one health indicator every week. This includes counting steps, the number of minutes of intensive movement, heart rate, calorie burn or sleep quality. The corona pandemic also affects how Dutch women view their own health and that of their loved ones. Almost 30% indicate that they are more interested in monitoring health since the start of the pandemic.
– 50% of all women measure their health via a smartphone every day.
– 64% keeps track of sports activities such as running, swimming or cycling on a weekly basis. 50% weigh themselves every week. 50% measure weekly steps and 41% monitor sleep at least once a week.
– 53% of women feel that achieving set goals such as 10,000 steps has a positive and motivating effect.
Read the full research report
Etos heart for heart:
In the week of April 12 to 19, 2021, Etos is committed to creating more awareness of the importance of measuring blood pressure. The shop floor and website are used to make knowledge about blood pressure more accessible. More information can be found at www.etos.nl/hartvoorhart
Photo: Submitted
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