Introduction
Sustainability has become a core component of modern society and is now a critical element in government and organizational planning. The 17 United Nations Sustainability Development Goals aim to address some crucial global issues by 2030 (United Nations, n.d.). Progress in achieving the goals is slow and more effort is required. Cardiovascular disease is one of the health issues addressed in the third sustainable goal, good health and well-being. Turkey has experienced increased cases of cardiovascular disease primarily due to lifestyle changes (KayikcioÄźlu & Oto, 2020). Various factors contribute to the prevalence of the illness but its adverse impacts on the population call for effective interventions.
Challenge and Driving Factors
Cardiovascular disease refers to complications that occur in the heart and lead to adverse outcomes for the affected. Its occurrence can lead to mortality and morbidity, demanding interventions to address it. The disease has become prevalent in developing and developed countries (Hinton et al., 2018). Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, with the greatest deaths among adults (Balbay et al., 2018). According to the World Bank (2017), Turkey has an aging population primarily facilitated by the steady decline in mortality and fertility. The prevalence of the disease is also encouraged by several modifiable risk factors, including obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, low physical activity, and type 2 diabetes (Baeradeh et al., 2022). These factors present a significant threat to the affected.
Factors like demanding jobs and less personal time are attributed to the emergence of the lack of physical activities in the population. The aging population is a risk factor for other comorbidities, increasing the risk of mortality when cardiovascular disease is diagnosed with other conditions. The most affected population is the elderly, susceptible to the disease. The most significant risk is the comorbidities diagnosed, cardiovascular disease, and an increasing prevalence among young adults and children (Nansseu et al., 2019). The incidence rates present a significant challenge to the nation.
Pain Points and Unique Circumstances
Cardiovascular disease is a global problem due to its high prevalence in adults and growing incidence in younger populations. The challenge that emerges from the population is the increased diagnosis of the disease in younger populations. The incidence of cardiac complications is common among adults but raises a significant concern in younger populations (Bucholz et al., 2018). According to Tokgozoglu et al. (2021), Turkey has the highest premature cardiovascular disease rate in Europe. Research also shows both men and women have a high prevalence of risk factors for the disease (Tran et al., 2021). The primary issue in resolving the problem lies in creating an effective intervention to address the needs of the entire population, given the incidences.
Solutions
Population-wide prevention initiatives are the most effective interventions in public health. Several solutions can be used in population-wide prevention. The introduction of a nationwide CVD awareness campaign that cuts across all populations and uses all media is proposed to help achieve effective outcomes. The awareness campaign will create health messages with information about CVD, its risk factors, and ways of preventing and managing it. The goal is to create a social trend considered positive and healthy.
Plan
The intervention will include professionals from various fields working for one year to promote CVD awareness. Healthcare professionals will be responsible for guiding the information contained in the campaign. They will collaborate with communication and media experts to create appealing advertisements and programs containing information about CVD. More importantly, the intervention will rely heavily on social media influencers and personalities who influence different sections of the population. The influencers and media personalities will be required to promote healthy lifestyles, create awareness about CVD, encourage testing, and promote interventions to address the issue. Most of the awareness campaigns will be done on social media to increase outreach. The goal of the whole awareness campaign will be to ensure that a significant section of the population knows about CVD.
Testing
The project will be measured based on statistics from various sources. The first form of test will be the conversations surrounding CVD before and after the solution is implemented. Data will be collected about interactions regarding CVD from all media sources before the awareness campaign is rolled out. The data will then be compared with collected during and after the campaign. Data collection will be done for one year, and testing will be achieved through data comparison. A similar approach will be used to measure data from the number of people who come in for CVD testing. The CVD number of cases before and after the campaign will also be measured and compared.
Impacts of the Solution
The expected impacts of the intervention are increased awareness about CVD and having more people take better control of the disease. The first impact is to have more people come in for CVD testing in hospitals across Turkey. A rise in the number of tests will help to improve care for those who are diagnosed. The intervention also aims to improve the prevention of the disease at the local level. The solution aims to reduce the number of cardiovascular-related deaths in the country. Reducing CVD-related deaths is heavily dependent on the population’s knowledge. Finally, the intervention seeks to address the prevalence of CVD in younger populations in Turkey. The public health problem presents several challenges in the future that have to be addressed early.
Conclusion
The United Nations’ sustainable development goals address crucial issues affecting society. Health and well-being are the third goal and aim to address various areas of health, including cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable illnesses. Heart diseases are highly prevalent in Turkey due to the aging population and the prevalence of risk factors. The increased incidence in the younger population raises concerns and calls for action. The proposed pilot project aims to address the problem by increasing awareness, encouraging diagnoses, and promoting healthier lifestyles. The project will rely on social media and other mediums to share CVD-related information.
References
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