A public health expert and Director of HealthiWealthi Africa Initiative, Peace Onuiri has said that the majority of chronic symptoms can be reduced and reversed through comprehensive lifestyle improvement.
She urged the government, relevant agencies, and individuals to join the campaign to promote a healthy lifestyle to reduce chronic diseases and improve optimum health in the society.
Onuiri, made the call at a press briefing in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
She said HealthiWealthi is an arm of the Lifestyle Medicine Foundation in charge of Health coaching to combat chronic diseases.
She said: “Health coaches are habit improvement specialists, who encourage individuals to practice health-enhancing behaviours, supporting them to improve on one micro habit at a time, such as stress management, exercise, healthy diet, sleep hygiene, adherence to doctor’s prescription and protocol, among others.
“The burden of chronic non-communicable diseases calls for individuals and communities to adopt healthier lifestyles of adequate diet, more exercise, improved sleep, managed stress and supportive relationships but the challenge lies in making lifestyle changes, which is hard for most people due to the cyclic nature of the behaviour change process that requires specific interventional strategies. Hence the need for the collaboration and supportive alliance of health coaches, who provides behaviour change methodologies that aim to prevent diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, hyperlipidemia, heart diseases, cancer, addictions, and other chronic disorders,” she added.