Healthy Lifestyles and
Non-Communicable Diseases

Malta was named the most obese country in Europe in 2016, also it has a great incidence of Cardiovascular diseases as well mental health issues. That is why they organised a campaign that was aimed at the general public. It took place on 1. of October in 2017 and it was set on a public place so the people reached would be of all ages thus making it more useful for the general population.

The aim of the campaign was prevention, control and in some cases also curing the diseases. From 9am till 2pm the citizens had a chance to measure their blood pressure, glucose level, BMI, engage in physical activity, educate themselves about mental health and other NCDs.

According to the WHO; in 2015, over 1.1 billion people smoked tobacco. According to a global study; Jordan topped Middle East countries in the prevalence of smoking among males, and third in terms of female smokers. This study showed that the rate of smoking among Jordanian men was 43.4 percent in 2012, while the prevalence of smoking among females in Jordan stood at 8.5 per cent. 51% of Jordanians are exposed to passive smoking in public areas. 

Targeted groups are medical students, governments, children and adolescents. Objectives are a smoke-free environment by raising awareness on the effects of smoking and equipping medical students with skills and knowledge needed to fight smoking, also to decrease the incidence of smokers and passive smokers in  Jordan  and to highlight the deleterious effects of tobacco as a risk factor for NCDs.

Eight million people die every year in the world because of arterial hypertension. 80% of cases occur in developing countries (like ours) according to the International Hypertension Society. Hypertension is a common pathology in our environment, considered a silent killer because it rarely causes symptoms in its initial stages and many people have not been diagnosed in time. As medical students we are able to contribute to the community with information on the health status of people and possible early diagnoses as well as teaching prevention methods, risk factors and pathologies associated with hypertension.activity is aimed at the community in general. 

The long-term beneficiaries will be the medical students – who will know about the latest updates – the people who are trained by medical students

 – who will be able to recognize early signs of high blood pressure and who will be able to modify their lifestyles – and the country’s doctors, who will be able to give a definitive diagnosis and provide early treatment for patients suffering from high blood pressure. Through the two phases of the activity, an effective way of educating medical students and the population in general will be shown, promoting healthy lifestyles and helping in the prevention and management of high blood pressure. Further. IFMSA will be recognized by medical students, health personnel and people who do not belong to the health area, such as a student organization that is concerned with promoting global health.