BMI Shirley Oaks Hospital in Croydon is encouraging residents to pledge to improve their health by supporting a national campaign to raise awareness of the UK's top five preventable killers.

Launched by the hospital's parent company BMI Healthcare, The Big Health Pledge encourages people to look at their lifestyle choices and commit to simple pledges that will allow them to see a change in their health.

The campaign focuses on the top five causes of preventable death- heart disease, stroke, cancer, lung disease and liver disease.

The give pledges of the campaign are improved diet, move more, quit smoking, drink less alcohol and be health aware.

Dr Graham Jackson, consultant cardiologist at BMI Shirley Oaks Hospital said: "The Big Health Pledge will hopefully get people thinking about how they could eat healthier, be more active, quit smoking, drink less alcohol and be more health aware – all steps to a healthier, happier life."

In Croydon between 2009 and 2011, there were 2,558 premature deaths ranking it 58th out of 150 local authorities.

Croydon was 27th out of 150 local authorities in England for cancer deaths with 99 deaths per 100,000 people and 76th in England for heart disease and stroke with 65 deaths per 100,000 people.

The borough ranked as 66th for lung disease with 23 deaths per 100,000 people and 50th for liver disease with 13 deaths per 100,000 people.

John Hare, Executive Director at BMI Shirley Oaks Hospital said: "Our team at BMI Shirley Oaks Hospital are serious about health and passionate about care and we are supporting this campaign to help people in the local Croydon community look again at how their lifestyle choices can be affecting their health."

 

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