HEALTH- The Society of Lifestyle Medicine of Nigeria (SOLONg) is set to commemorate the 2023 Global Lifestyle Medicine Week with the aim of raising awareness on how lifestyle choices could increase the chances of chronic disease.
The Global Lifestyle Medicine Week, which is an annual worldwide celebration to promote healthy behaviours is marked between the 21st of May to 26th of May, and draws the attention of the world to how lifestyle medicine pillars can prevent, treat, and reverse non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The 2023 Global Lifestyle Medicine Week is themed: ‘Beat the Root Cause of Diseases with DREAMS’.
The DREAMS acronym represents Diet and healthy nutrition; Relationships, and positive healthy connections; Exercise; Avoidance of psychoactive substances; Mental well-being; and Sleep.
While addressing journalists in a press conference to announce the commemoration of the week, Dr. Moyosore Makinde, Consultant Family Physician, Int’l Board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, and President SOLONg, explained that the week-long commemoration includes various activities such as health walks, community sensitizations, symposiums, and aerobic sessions.
Dr. Makinde buttressed that NCDs account for the top causes of death worldwide, and are responsible for 29% of all deaths in Nigeria.
Dr. Makinde emphasised that NCDs such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancer are associated with poor diet.
She appealed to Nigerians to leverage the significance of the global lifestyle medicine week to commit to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“This is a campaign for healthy behavior. If we live a healthy lifestyle, we will be stemming most of the complications arising from non-communicable diseases,” she explained.
Dr. Chinasa Amadi, Public Health Physician, andInt’l Board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, and Membership Secretary, SOLONg, explained that the group has been embarking on different forms of advocacy and sensitization to ensure that members of the public adopt healthy lifestyles.
Dr. Amadi said “many Nigerians do not know that if they eat well and exercise regularly, they would be free of many of these non-communicable diseases.
“This is why we’re embarking on this sensitization program to let people know that it pays to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” she added.
All SOLONg members and other participants present at the event which took place at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) participated in an aerobic session to demonstrate some of the healthy lifestyles that can be adopted.
