Lifestyle Diseases :The Main Factors..!

Lifestyle Diseases : The Main Factors

Mr. AMOL NAIKAWADI, Indus Health Plus

People are prone to various diseases based on their sedentary lifestyle and occupational habits.

Diseases like autoimmune diseases, heart diseases, stroke, cancers, diabetes and others are preventable and their incidence can be lowered with changes in diet and lifestyle.

Preventive healthcare means detection of diseases at an early stage through various check ups which determine whether the various organs in the body are functioning properly . It is a way to understand and detect non communicable diseases and lifestyle diseases which are asymptomatic in nature.

Lifestyle diseases portray those diseases whose occurrence is primarily based on the based on the daily habits of people and are a result of an inappropriate lifestyle.

The main factors contributing to lifestyle diseases include incorrect food habits, lack of physical activity , poor lifestyle choices such as smoking and overuse of alcohol.

Preventive healthcare plays an important role in controlling and reducing non-communicable diseases which are on the rise in India. As lifestyle diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart ailments among the working population are increasing, prevention offers a healthier alternative to this issue too.

Treatments are expensive and survival rates for diseases like cancer are extremely low because of late detection.Hence it is important to understand the potential risk of lifestyle diseases and go for regular and timely screenings.

Lifestyle diseases are different from other diseases because they are potentially preventable and can be lowered with changes in diet, lifestyle and environment.

Today's 24x7 world leaves little room for entertainment, social life, exercise & regular eating and sleeping patterns. Only when our body starts showing signs of fatigue and inability do we look at our daily routine and think how the same impacts our personal lives.

Preventive healthcare is a coordinated, systematic approach that promotes healthy behaviour, early detection and diagnosis of disease, supports people of every age and eliminates health disparities.

Demanding schedules, high stress levels and performance linked perquisites in the private sector call for preventive healthcare check ups. The highest threat of increase in lifestyle diseases has been observed among employees from the IT / ITeS and BPO sectors. Introducing and highlighting the importance of preventive healthcare will reduce absenteeism, disability & non productivity. One way of achieving this is by advising employees to go for routine check ups even if they are healthy.

AMOL NAIKAWADI, Indus Health Plus

There is a growing consciousness about health-related issues among people, giving a boost to preventive health check ups in hospitals.Annual health check ups, which are largely the privilege of corporate executives, are now being sought after by the middle class as well.

Most hospitals routinely cater to walk-in patients who avail of tailor made packages for all age groups. Though people are moving towards prevention, the out of-pocket expenses incurred by a large section of the population still remains high.

Tackling this burden of non-communicable diseases and high out-of-pocket expenses requires focus on preventive care at the primary and secondary levels.

-The writer AMOL NAIKAWADI is a preventive healthcare specialist and joint managing director of Indus Health Plus

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