THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful reminder for the public that heart disease is not only a problem for those already diagnosed. Its foundations are often laid years earlier. Health experts in Pakistan have drawn particular attention to children and young people, warning that unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are increasing their risk of developing heart disease and other non-communicable illnesses later in life. This is an important shift in the conversation. Heart disease does not suddenly begin in middle age. Many of the habits and conditions that raise the risk, such as poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise and tobacco use, can take root much earlier. Children are increasingly surrounded by packaged snacks, sugary drinks and heavily processed foods, while opportunities for regular physical activity are often limited. Protecting heart health must, therefore, begin long before someone faces cardiac issues.

That requires more than telling families to make better choices. People should know what is in the food they buy, particularly when products contain excessive sugar, salt or unhealthy fats. Health experts have called for clear front-of-pack warning labels on such products, while schools can also play a greater role by encouraging physical activity and limiting children’s exposure to unhealthy foods and drinks. Parents, too, need simple and reliable information about proper nutrition and healthy menus. None of this removes personal responsibility, but it recognises that choices are shaped by the environment in which people live. The value of World Heart Day should, therefore, lie in what follows after the observance itself. Its broader message must be that prevention starts early. If the country wants fewer heart attacks and strokes in the decades ahead, it must begin by protecting the hearts of those who are young today.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026