SMA Performs Blood Pressure Screenings Throughout the Entire Company

“Listen to Your Heart – Health Day Is Coming Your Way.” This was the motto that preceded a team of health experts as they went through all of our departments at SMA during the last two weeks. Their mission? To carry out blood pressure screenings at the workplace during working hours. The reason? Ninety percent of men know the average MPG rating and the engine horsepower of their cars, but only twenty percent know what their blood pressure is. To put things into perspective, high blood pressure is the world’s No. 1 health hazard, causing over nine million deaths a year worldwide. In Germany alone, it’s a widespread condition that affects one out of every three people! And the consequences are serious. Forty percent of all deaths among people younger than 60 can be traced back to high blood pressure, and, left untreated, it will shorten a person’s lifespan by an average of 11 years. To top it all off, it’s a treacherous condition that remains undetected in fifty percent of all cases because it has no outward symptoms.

It cannot be felt. But it can be measured!

Around 1,620 members of the SMA team participated and had their blood pressure taken, and I’m extremely happy that so many of us took part in our Health Day campaign. I would also like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, our health experts and the team that organized the campaign, as well as all the team members that contributed. Performing all these blood pressure measurements would not have been possible without all of you!
In addition to having their blood pressure taken, all participants received a thorough assessment of their personal high blood pressure risk. Moreover, team members who were likely to have high blood pressure were given informational brochures for their family doctor, as well as recommendations on what things to change.
Starting in April, we will begin a health program that will focus on lowering blood pressure by providing advice and courses dealing with the following preventive measures: moving around, changing diet, managing stimulants such as alcohol and coffee, and eliminating/managing stress.