This article is from page 26 of the 2005-09-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 26 JPG
PFIZER nurses will be on hand to pro- vide free cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose checks at this years Na- tional Ploughing Championships. This is the second year that the pharmaceutical company will offer health checks as- well-as advice for stopping smoking.
Heart disease and stroke are the two leading causes of death in Ireland today claiming in excess of 10,000 lives a year. The IFA Farm Family Committee 1s sup- porting Pfizer’s efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of high blood pressure and cholesterol.
‘Many people don’t know their blood pressure or cholesterol level,’ said Mary McGreale, Chairperson of the IFA Farm
Family Committee. “Farmers, especial- ly those over 50, need to become more proactive in making sure that their cho- lesterol level and blood pressure are in the healthy range.”
The Pfizer nurses will be joined by nurses from the Irish Heart Founda- tion (IHF) and the Diabetes Federation of Ireland (DFI) who will also conduct health checks on patients and offer a wide range of health information.
Staggeringly almost some 50 per cent of those tested at last year’s champion- ship were required to be referred to their GP for either raised blood pressure or high cholesterol.
“The Health Check at the National Ploughing Championships forms part of Pfizer’s overall health check pro-
gramme, which has actively partnered with the IFA in the past year,” said Ryan Quigley of Pfizer. “As well as a presence at the National Ploughing Champion- ships, Pfizer has also conducted health checks around the country through the [FA’s Regional branch structure.”
“In addition, Pfizer and the IFA are carrying out a detailed survey of the Car- diovascular Health of the Irish Farming Community for the over 50 age group,’ he continued.
Those interested in having a health check during the event should visit the ty Aa mpaetcduelt(crer
Health checks will be conducted on a first come first served basis, though Pfiz- er will do its utmost to accommodate all requests.