The departments’ focus this month is also on the promotion of sexual and reproductive health.
THE NORTHERN Cape MEC for Health, Mase Manopole, has urged communities to take up healthy lifestyle activities during the launch of the Healthy Lifestyle campaign.
Department spokesperson Lebganag Majaha said the aim of the campaign is to promote the benefits of healthy living.
“The campaign aims to address modifiable risk factors through the promotion of regular exercising, healthy diet, eliminating risky alcohol consumption and substance abuse, as well as promoting safe sexual behaviour and tobacco control,” said Majaha.
“Various studies have shown that the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and obesity, and related chronic diseases, appear to have increased significantly over the years. The caseload of diabetes and hypertension are said to have increased by 15% in 2017/18 and 17% in the 2018/19 financial year.”
Majaha said that a change in diet and conscious health decisions can overturn this challenge.
“Recent statistics revealed that up to 80% of heart disease and stroke can be prevented by simply making good nutritional choices and correct lifestyle habits. Chronic non-communicable diseases have been shown to have a significant negative impact on our people, with reports indicating that these diseases make up to 19% (i.e. 2 654 deaths due to non-communicable diseases) of all reported deaths in the Province.
Coupled with the Healthy Lifestyle campaign, the departments’ focus this month is also on the promotion of sexual and reproductive health.
