A food brand, Power Oil, has said that climbing pedestrian bridges promotes a healthy heart.
The company disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, in commemoration of the 2022 World Heart Day, observed annually on September 30.
According to the statement, the company engages over 15,000 people directly across three locations within Lagos State, discouraging passers-by against the option of crossing the express road and enlightening them to use the overhead bridge as a safer and healthier alternative.
The Brand Manager, Valerie Amakulor, said the rationale behind the campaign was to educate Nigerians on the importance of a healthy lifestyle through routines in daily lives.
She said, “The need to create awareness about maintaining a healthy heart can never be over-emphasised as cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death globally.
“An estimated number of over 17 million people die from the CVD every year, coronary heart disease or strokes were the major causes of these deaths.
“While reviewing this estimation, it was realised that awareness effort needed to go further in Nigeria, especially at different touch points unimaginable, which gave rise to this concept of pedestrian-bridge engagement exercise.”
It added that an estimation of 20 people die in Lagos State from crossing the road monthly in Nigeria, noting that even when the bridges were available for use, they still opted for the risky option.
The statement explained that to further drive healthy choices, pedestrians were asked to partake in minor workouts to get more rewards.
“Power Oil rose to the occasion by not only cheering pedestrians to use the bridge for safety purpose, but to also educate them about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, at this point, a sample the brand is offered.
“It was delightful to see the number of people being engaged at all three locations, this further demonstrates that a little push might only be required to achieve the right amount of behavioral adjustments towards a healthy lifestyle,” it read.
