HFJ Lights Up Bob Marley Statue for World Heart Week 2024

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) is observing World Heart Week 2024 from September 23 to 29 with a series of activities designed to raise awareness about preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The week was launched on Monday, September 23, with the annual statue lighting ceremony at the Bob Marley Museum.

The famous Kingston landmark was illuminated in red as a symbolic gesture to raise awareness about CVD, which is the leading cause of death globally.

The HFJ team, along with representatives from Future Energy Source Company Limited (FESCO) and the Bob Marley Group of Companies, gathered at the museum for the occasion. Chief Administrative Officer of the HFJ, Saccherine Chin, explained the significance of the activity. “This illumination serves as a powerful symbol of unity, reinforcing our shared message of ‘One Love’ and the critical importance of heart health,” she told JIS News.The statue lighting is an initiative of the World Heart Federation (WHF), which seeks global solidarity by asking for monuments around the world to be lit up in red on World Heart Day, which is observed on September 29.

The aim of this activity is to encourage global unity around the fight against cardiovascular disease.

Several iconic landmarks across the globe have been incorporated in the effort during previous campaigns.

These include Niagara Falls in Canada and the Pyramids in Egypt and, once again, in 2024, the WHF is connecting the world by reaching out to have iconic monuments “shine a light for heart health”.

This year, the HFJ is once again highlighting the Bob Marley statue, located at the museum, situated at the former residence of a world-famous Jamaican musician.

The HFJ aims to leverage the visibility of this landmark to educate the public about the risk factors for CVD and the importance of regular screening.Ms. Chin also highlighted the importance of the week of activities and encouraged members of the public to get involved. “The HFJ encourages all Jamaicans to actively participate in World Heart Week activities and to deepen their understanding of cardiovascular disease prevention. Cardiovascular disease is largely preventable. By adopting healthy lifestyle choices, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke. We urge everyone to undergo annual screenings and to ‘Know Your Numbers’,” she said. In addition to the statue-lighting ceremony, the HFJ will host a variety of activities throughout World Heart Week.

These include an outside broadcast on EDGE FM and Healthy Meal Cook-off on September 27; a Vox Pop with members of the public focusing on the World Heart Day theme, ‘Use Heart for Action’, and week-long social media highlights.Statistics from the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey III show that 31.5 per cent of Jamaicans have high blood pressure, 53.9 per cent are overweight or obese, 10.2 per cent have diabetes, and 17.1 per cent have high cholesterol, which are all risk factors that contribute significantly to heart disease.