THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With lifestyle diseases taking their toll on people’s health and projected to further worsen the situation, the Achutha Menon Institute, in association with government, has begun a gigantic exercise to screen the entire population for non-communicable diseases besides inculcating healthy habits among school children. Over 20,000 students mainly those studying in standards 8th to 12th are being covered this year.
Experts have selected 350 schools in which special programmes will be held for groups comprising 60 to 70 students for creating awareness about life style diseases, its impact on health and ways to prevent its onset right from a young age. Each selected school will have at least 10 sessions on these subjects. The idea is to create awareness about leading a healthy life, importance of physical activities, sports and games in schools. Even teachers, school managements are being taken on board to ensure extracurricular activities are taken up in a big way for building a healthy young generation.
The local bodies are being involved in a big way. During the first year 250 panchayat presidents and health standing committee chairpersons are being trained across the state. Initially the graded panchayats with good track record, are being roped in for making fight against non communicable diseases a mass movement. Extended meetings and training programmes of elected representatives have been scheduled for October 6, followed by a three-day session at the Kerla Insitute of Local Administration (KILA) on October 16, 17 and 18.
