The relationship between subjective health perception (SHP) and lifestyle practices brings into question the future health status of an individual. Recognition of the disparity between one’s health consciousness and real practices encourages change and promotes the development of better health in the future. One of the most influential factors that is highly correlated with and significantly affects health is lifestyle. Lifestyle is defined as the daily characteristics, behaviors, and functions of an individual, which include diet, exercise, sleep, substance use, etc. The adolescent stage is the best time to identify this disparity wherein lifestyle practices are still being developed.
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Lifestyle diseases are ailments that are primarily based on the day-to-day habits of people. Adolescents are vulnerable to such diseases later on in life because of susceptibility to behavioral risk factors like insufficient physical activity, unhealthy dietary practices, smoking, tobacco, and alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, and so on during this transitional stage of their life. Adolescents who are from low-income families are also at increased risk of dual states of malnutrition such as underweight and obesity.
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Studies have shown an increased prevalence of lifestyle-induced diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and some types of cancer due to prolonged exposure to modifiable lifestyle behaviors. In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 61 percent of all deaths—35 million—and 49 percent of the global burden of disease were attributable to chronic diseases. By 2030, the proportion of total global deaths due to chronic diseases is expected to increase to 70 percent and the global burden of disease to 56 percent.
The decade-long study, backed by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), has reported that more than a tenth of the people in India have diabetes, 35 percent have hypertension, and 28 percent have high cholesterol levels. The prevalence of these conditions is higher in urban areas, but they are spreading fast in rural areas also. Both rural and urban populations are equally prone to pre-diabetes. While these are traditionally called non-communicable diseases (NCDs), their spread may even be compared to the spread of infectious diseases. The National Health Mission has actually found that there is a transition happening in the health sector, with NCDs surpassing the burden of communicable diseases.
Though there is no pan-northeast study on the prevalence of lifestyle diseases, an analysis by doctors at Gauhati Medical College Hospital reveals that 14-20 percent of heart patients in Guwahati are below 40 years of age and have unhealthy lifestyles. The prevalence of heart disease among young people in the areas of northeast India is increasing rapidly, with unhealthy fast food consumption being a major contributing factor.
Despite the well-known benefits of a healthy lifestyle, only a small proportion of adults follow such a routine; in fact, the numbers are declining. Unfortunately, there is very little public awareness of the association between health and lifestyle and the necessity of more effective lifestyle interventions as well as reformation in health consciousness during adolescence when behaviors are forming, which are practiced into adult life. Lifestyle is generally considered a personal issue. However, lifestyles are social practices and ways of living adopted by individuals that reflect personal group and socio-economic identities. Many are unaware that a change in lifestyle is the most important factor in the emergence of chronic diseases leading to increased morbidity and mortality.
Though lifestyle diseases are the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, the good news is that we have the power to help prevent chronic disease, as making positive diet and lifestyle changes can help reduce risk. The young ones should be educated and encouraged for physical activity, avoid consumption of alcohol & tobacco, avoid smoking, eating high-fiber & low-fat diet, avoid junk foods and sugary beverages, controlling body weight, to cope with stress and to ensure adequate sleep (7-9 hours) each night to support overall health and well-being. Comprehensive public health interventions should be promoted among adolescents at the community level for the prevention of NCD risk factors. Apart from the family, schools and educational institutions are an important platform in imparting knowledge on health and lifestyle diseases and conducting lifestyle modification programs so that students in their early life adapt healthy habits.
‘Making changes takes time & effort’. It’s not easy to make a major lifestyle change. It takes time to form new habits. But by understanding the stages of change, by leveraging the collective efforts of family, schools, healthcare providers, and policymakers we can inculcate the fitness culture in young generation. Starting small and setting realistic goals, we can teach them to make healthier choices and in the process, reducing the risk for chronic disease.
(All views and thoughts expressed are the author’s own.)