IMA campaign to inculcate good health practices in students

New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) will conduct a special campaign to inculcate good health practices in students for prevention of lifestyle diseases, on the occasion of Teachers Day tomorrow.

As part of the Aao School Chalen campaign, all IMA members have been asked to visit their old school or any nearby school during the school assembly and interact with students and teachers to sensitise them on issues of public health importance.

“It need not be a long-drawn talk, but a short talk of 10 to 15 minutes,” IMA national president K K Aggarwal said. IMA branches have been asked to adopt schools and deliver lectures on matters of public health in their morning assemblies. The topic for this month is fighting obesity at a young age to prevent common lifestyle diseases in the future.

Childhood obesity is increasing worldwide at an alarming pace. Factors contributing to this are the consumption of an unhealthy diet — eating foods high in fats, sugar and salt (junk food, processed food) and a sedentary lifestyle.

“Today, TV, Internet, computer and mobile games have taken precedence over outdoor sports making children at a much higher risk of obesity,” Aggarwal said.

IMA general secretary R N Tandon said, “Prevention of lifestyle diseases must start in childhood itself. Schools shape the lives of their students and have a very important role to play in this battle against childhood obesity in creating health awareness among children.”

School health education programmes can help reduce health risk behaviours such as tobacco use, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, drug and alcohol use, he added.