Non-communicable diseases on the rise

Accra, Dec. 10, GNA - Ms. Sophia Twum-Barima, Health Promotion Officer, World Health Organization (WHO), on Monday called on Ghanaians to adopt healthy lifestyles in order to reduce the increase in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country.

She said WHO had adopted a global strategy aimed at promoting and protecting health through healthy eating and physical exercise to bring about change in dietary habits of individuals.

Speaking at a day's seminar organized for media personnel on "Physical Activity and Health", Ms Twum-Barima observed that WHO recognized the importance of formulating and implementing an effective global strategy that would reduce deaths and disease burden worldwide. The global strategy, which has four main components seeks to reduce the risks factors for chronic diseases that stemmed from unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, increase awareness and understanding of the influences of diets, exercise and preventive interventions, develop global action plan to improve diets and monitor science and promote research on diet and physical activity.

Ms Twum-Barima said the global action, which was endorsed in 2004 to bring about changes in dietary pattern, physical exercise and health, required the combined efforts of stakeholders, public and private sector to reduce the disease burden.

She mentioned some risk factors to NCDs as too much intake of fats, salt, lack of exercise, smoking, drinking and cautioned the public to live responsibly so as to do away with the danger of contracting such diseases.

NCDs refer to diseases such as diabetes, cancers, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and obesity related conditions, which account for 60 per cent global deaths and almost half of the global burden of disease.

Ms Elizabeth Baku, Representative of the NCD Programme at the Ministry of Health, who gave an overview of national response, said education and awareness creation on how to reduce risks factors and prolong lives had been the main agenda.

She said fundamental measures such as health promotion, generic counselling, nutrition, early intervention, and legislation on health hazards products and code of practice had been adopted as key components of the global strategy.

Mr Ibrahim Napuli, a researcher, said research on stakeholders mapping showed that about 111 institutions across the country promoted physical health activities through keep fit clubs. He said the findings indicated that most of the people who exercised looked healthy, were able to perform at work and home and called for a working group with focal persons to regulate their activities.

Mr Napuli said promoting physical activity and health called for a multi-sectoral approach and therefore called on the media to be good agents of change in healthy lifestyle campaigns.

Mr Kofi Edusei, Programme Manager, Regenerative Health and Nutrition Project, said the central idea behind regenerative health was to let Ghanaians cultivate the habit of healthy lifestyles, dietary practices and good mother and child care practices to prevent diseases. He said Ghana was the first country to make regenerative health and nutrition the focal point of its national policy.

Mr Edusei urged the public to increase their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables since they provided vitamins and minerals as well as other disease fighting compounds.

He urged Ghanaians to have adequate rest and relaxation since studies had shown that the body repaired itself during the sleep cycle adding, "Chemical produced by the brain during laughter also have healing effects."

Mr Edusei said the body should be replenished through the intake of eight to 10 glasses of water a day. 10 Dec. 07