SINGAPORE, Sept. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with World Heart Day, Cardiatrics, Singapore's first comprehensive and clinically-driven cardiovascular disease prevention program, is launched. The program is based on lifestyle medicine and focuses on behavioural change through effective health coaching. It aims to empower individuals to achieve an optimal state of health by working closely with a team of experienced Cardiatrics doctors and coaches through a technology enabled platform.
Cardiovascular disease prevention plays a significant role in the current state of health amongst Singaporeans, with 16 people dying every day from heart disease or stroke, accounting for nearly 1 in 3 deaths 1. While this is partly due to an aging population, the growing number of Singaporeans with risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol has also led to the disease in younger people, with the number of heart patients below the age of 40 doubling in the last 5 years 2.
These alarming figures are what makes cardiovascular disease the leading cause of deaths globally. Cardiatrics hopes to combat cardiovascular disease, lower an individual's reliance on medication and surgery, and minimise future medical costs for individuals through prevention.
Cardiatrics is a personalised health program conducted over four months and developed by a leading cardiologist and health experts in Singapore. The program is clinically driven and delivered through doctors and health experts to serve higher risk individuals. It is designed to be effective to treat and reverse diabetes, hypertension, obesity and high cholesterol levels with the aim of preventing cardiovascular disease.
"We developed this program which extends beyond a regular health screening, or any other generic health and wellness program by comprehensively delivering a clinical lifestyle intervention program. It closes the loop by integrating a complete risk assessment with in depth lifestyle analysis, to personalise a 4-month health program," said Dr. Peter Ting, Cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer, Cardiatrics.
"It takes into account an individual's clinical goals, lifestyle preferences and environmental situation. At the end of the program, individuals can see a clinical improvement in their risk of cardiovascular disease and better managed chronic conditions," Dr. Peter Ting continued.
Cardiatrics takes an integrated approach to bring together multiple health experts into one team, with doctors, fitness trainers, psychologists, dieticians and health coaches - all working together on the clinical goals of an individual. Cardiatrics Doctors and Coaches are all holistically trained in areas supporting health and wellness including nutrition, exercise, mental wellness, behavioural counselling and change management.
"The Cardiatrics health program is currently being piloted at Harley Street Cancer and Heart Centre at Gleneagles Hospital. There is a long term plan to extend the program's offerings through other physicians and their clinics as the next phase of its expansion," Mervyn Fathianathan, Co-founder, Cardiatrics.
Individuals are paired with a dedicated Doctor and Coach team to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, making the program a truly immersive and high touch experience. The lifestyle management solutions involve programmed exercise, prescribed nutrition, stress management, sleep and hydration management and smoking cessation. The program components are based on scientific methods that are proven to work.
Cardiatrics focuses on empowering behavioural change to help individuals make lasting lifestyle changes. This is what helps bring about a reduction in risk factors that is both effective and sustainable. The program is highly customised, taking into account an individual's personal constraints and unique set of health needs so that Doctors and Coaches can always provide individuals with realistic solutions that can be easily integrated into their lifestyle. The program aims to understand an individual's preferences closely, while inspiring and motivating them towards their clinical goals.
One unique feature is that the program offers a proprietary mobile device app which will provide users with day-to-day in-app health advice from Cardiatrics Coaches. If offers a technology-enabled solution which provides daily interactions, systematic tracking and monitoring, and helps enhance overall motivation.
Opportunities for face-to-face consultations and group activities, like boot camps, forums, food preparation classes and workshops will truly immerse each individual in an effective lifestyle change journey. The social network of like-minded individuals with the same goals and purposes will help build an enhanced level of commitment in users. It will also offer existing members a maintenance program to enable low-level lifestyle monitoring, continuous access to ongoing events, and yearly medical reviews.
This health program currently has its own health coaching training course to develop its health coaches, providing over 40-hours worth of formal health coach training including role playing classes.
Cardiatrics' aim is to make a fundamental shift in the healthcare system of today. Instead of treating diseases after they occur, the Cardiatrics program aims to prevent them in the first place. Cardiatrics envisions this shift in healthcare to be the future, and hopes to play a part in helping eradicate cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of deaths worldwide.
* References:
1. Singapore Heart Foundation (2015) Singapore - statistics - about the heart & heart disease - Singapore heart foundation. Available at: http://www.myheart.org.sg/article/about-the-heart-and-heart-disease/statistics/singapore/75
2. Dr Keng, F. (2015) Heart disease - stop this silent killer. Available at: http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/News/Pages/Heart-disease-Stop-this-silent-killer.aspx
About Cardiatrics
Cardiatrics is Singapore's first comprehensive and clinically driven cardiovascular disease prevention program. It integrates a risk assessment with a personalised 4-month health program. The program uses lifestyle management solutions as medicine and focuses on behavioural change through effective health coaching. It aims to empower individuals in achieving optimised health results by working closely with a team of experienced Cardiatrics coaches delivered through a technology enabled solution. www.cardiatricshealth.com
Cardiatrics is introduced by Lifestyle Therapeutics Pte Ltd, founded by leading cardiologist, Dr Peter Ting, and entrepreneur, Mervyn Fathianathan launched in 2016.
For more information, please contact:
Media Relations: Clara So
+65-8123-2570 / claraso@lifestyle-therapeutics.com
