KZN tops heart-related deaths in SA - report

Despite KZN being touted as a province with plenty of outdoor space, new stats show the vast majority of citizens fail to live healthy lifestyles.

Durban - KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of heart- and artery-related deaths in the country - 36 percent more than the national average.

So says a report on the state of health in South Africa, released by leading South African insurance firm, Discovery Life.

The finding was based on total insurance claims finalised by the company last year.

Despite KZN often being touted as a province with plenty of outdoor space and year-round warm weather, the statistics point to the vast majority of citizens failing to live healthy lifestyles.

“Only 20 percent of Durbanites participate in 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity per week, which is the recommended minimum for health benefits.

“And, although 34 percent of residents are exercising above the 150 minutes per week mark, nearly 46 percent are well below the minimum with less than 75 minutes of exercise per week,” said Dr Maritha van der Walt, Discovery Life’s chief medical officer.

The report also found that those living in Durban failed to adopt healthy eating habits, with 89 percent of residents consuming less than the daily recommended intake of five portions of fruit and vegetables.

“The risk factors for heart diseases could be related to lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity or in the case of diabetes, lifestyle and genetics,” said Van der Walt.

“A higher incidence of risk factors translates into a higher incidence of heart disease.”

The Discovery VitalityObeCity Index revealedlow fruit and vegetable intake, adding sugar to tea and coffee, and adding fat to food.

“These factors could potentially be linked to the high number of claims for heart and artery-related conditions among the community of KZN,” she said.

KZN’s prominence on the list of provincial heart-related deaths echoes repeated warnings by The Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa on the effects of sedentary lifestyles.

Several studies have also pointed to South Africans of Indian descent, the majority of whom are in Durban, having the highest rates of heart disease in the country.

Deaths from heart disease have been climbing each year in South Africa, with the latest figures revealing that 210 people die each day from heart attacks.

The most recent high-profile figure to have suffered this fate was 64-year-old business tycoon and former president of the Black Management Forum, Don Mkhwanazi, who died of a heart attack this month.

According to the Discovery report, cancer and heart-related conditions made up 59 percent of all the company’s insurance claims for those over the age of 50.

The highest number of cancer-related claims came from Gauteng, which was nine percent higher than the national average.

Breast cancer among women between the ages of 31 and 60 were the most prevalent, while the highest number of claims from men were for prostate, skin and gastrointestinal-related cancers.

While KZN and Gauteng battled with cancer and heart-related conditions, those living in Cape Town were more health conscious.

This was evident in the report’s finding that Cape Town residents boasted the best healthy weight status in the country.

Daily News