FOOTBALL helped Reading get healthier … by inviting the town to know their numbers.
Earlier this month, a community football tournament was held in Palmer Park, and around the perimeter of the event there were several stalls. Among them, The Greater Reading Nepalese Community Association hosted a pressure station, encouraging visitors to get a blood pressure check.
They worked with the New Reading Primary Care Network (PCN), and saw Dr Ganesh Sharma and Dr Nadeem Ahmed, along with surgery staff and local volunteers, work on 90 mini-health checks for BMI, blood glucose and blood pressure.
The NHS says a blood pressure check is the first step to preventing heart attacks and strokes.
As well as promoting health and preventive healthcare advice, the event also meant the team were able to identify new cases of possible hypertension and diabetes.
It was part of a Know Your Numbers Week, aimed at raising awareness of blood pressure. For those concerned about cardiovascular health, it offered the chance to ask healthcare professionals about simple lifestyle changes to help reduce their risk and improve overall health and well-being.
Staff were also on hand to offer advice and answer questions about the upcoming flu and Covid-19 winter vaccination programme which is now being rolled out.
Dr Sharma said: “It’s great when we can bring preventative health advice and testing into the community.
“Events like this are a real opportunity for people to check the state of their health and for us as clinicians to offer the advice that may help prevent something more serious developing further down the line.”
