Centre to boost healthy lifestyle launched | Review – Bosveld Review

POLOKWANE – The centre operates as a health and demographic surveillance system and was developed to expand and strengthen the previous Dikgale Health and Demographic Surveillance System that has been running at the university for several years.
According to DIMAMO Population Health Centre Director, Emeritus Prof Marianne Alberts, non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are serious public health problems in the country and patients’ knowledge of risks and compliance with medication regimes remains very low.
She told Review that this is a huge societal problem as is HIV/aids although there is little research on how anti retroviral therapy affects such diseases.
“We believe the centre will boost South Africa’s research into inequality, poverty and population health including non-communicable diseases,” said Alberts. She said centre is also expected to inform interventions to significantly improve the health and socio-economic well-being of the whole population.
“This will also assists us to observe the changing exposure risk factors to various non-communicable diseases which are rapidly increasing as lifestyle change in rural South Africa,” she said.
She said: “It is unfortunate that many of our people are not aware of which foods can negatively affects their health and that should not be undermined.”
“It is a pity that we continue losing many lives in the country due to our ignorance towards our health,” she said.
Department of Health Tertiary Health Service Deputy Director General, Dr Ntodeni Ndwamato, said the centre will assist them in finding out what their patients are suffering from.”This will also help us develop strategies and prevention measures in order to prevent people from getting sick,” said Ndwamato.
“One of our crucial focus as development is primary health care where we start at the communities to ensure that we teach them about advantages of healthy living,” she said.
University of Limpopo Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Mahlo Mokgalong, said the centre will not only benefit the university surrounding areas only but also their students.
“There are diseases which are not death warrants, although its crucial that we continue to look after ourselves,” said Mokgalong.
He said through the traditional leaders they will have to go deep into the rural communities and preach the benefits of a good and health lifestyle.
“There are several young scientists who are currently being trained at our university who we believe will carry on dealing with the lifestyle challenges our communities face,” he said.
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