Statistics Canada released findings last Tuesday that showed more Canadians died from cancer than cardiovascular disease in 2007. While the numbers spanning the gap appear small (69,595 deaths from cancer versus 69,503 deaths from cardiovascular disease), it nonetheless reveals a change in Canadians’ behavior and lifestyle, both positive and negative.
Increased awareness of the need to live healthy, active lifestyles likely contributed to the declining number of deaths due to cardiovascular disease in Canada. Not only are people preventing conditions like heart disease, but they’re also living much longer as a result. On the flipside and in a strange turn of events, increased longevity may also be bringing with it more cases of cancer, since the possibility of developing cancer in old age is more likely.
Perhaps more important than the statistic is the apparent need for better prevention campaigns for cancer. Just as widespread campaigns for cardiovascular disease education have helped improve people’s lives, more cancer prevention awareness could eventually make the same impact on the same scale.
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