Health Update: Kerala launches new campaign for good health – What Experts Say

The Health department is launching a new campaign “Health and Happiness – Vibe 4 Wellness” in the new year to promote health, wellness and healthy habits amongst the population.

The campaign will have four essential elements for good health—eating well, physical activity appropriate to age, sleeping well, and caring for oneself

The campaign is being launched to create awareness on these essential changes in people’s lifestyles and to encourage people to embark on the journey towards good health.

A rally was flagged off from Kasaragod on Friday as part of the campaign promotion. It is expected to reach Thiruvananthapuram on January 1 when it will be launched formally.

Lifestyle diseases

The campaign is being launched as part of the Health department’s efforts to reduce the morbidity burden of non-communicable or lifestyle diseases. The campaign focusses on general population and people of all ages, gender and financial status are being encouraged to embrace the concept of wellness and to improve their physical and mental health.

Awareness programmes are being organised targeting school and college students, youth, elderly, food vloggers, fitness clubs, hotels and clubs too.

The campaign essentially is to remind people that good health is the biggest wealth and blessing and that the modern way of living has been affecting health adversely. The department says that there is a steady annual increase in the number of people succumbing to various lifestyle diseases in the State and that all of these are actually preventable if people understood the basics of good living and exercised moderation and discipline in life.

The department plans to coordinate 10,000 yoga clubs under Ayush department and 5,416 popular wellness clubs in the Health and Wellness centres. The campaign will be taken up in coordination with other departments, including Education, Higher Education, Local-Self Governments, Youth Affairs and Sports department and Women and Child development departments

The campaign will focus on creating awareness amongst people on what constitutes a healthy, balanced diet, the role of physical activity and how good sleep and hygiene is important for one’s physical and mental well being.

The other messages being sent across to the public include keeping the levels of oil or fat, salt and sugar in food at the minimum, reducing the consumption of junk food, exercising daily for 30 minutes, including more fruits and vegetables in the diet and avoiding smoking and alcohol consumption.