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Green Solutions

Preventive Care

Healthy living, healthy planet

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It is increasingly being recognized that health care needs to move beyond curative approaches to preventive approaches. Preventing diseases avert unnecessary suffering and early deaths, reduces the need for carbon-intensive investigation and treatments, and reduces the financial burden on individuals, their families and healthcare systems.

 

In Hong Kong, a limited number of non-communicable disease (NCD) makes up a significant proportion of disease burden.

 

About 61% of registered deaths in 2006 were attributable to 4 major preventable NCD:

Heart Diseases

Cancer

Stroke

Others

Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease

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32.3%

15.0%

8.8%

5.1%

38.8%

Most commonly cited diseases that require long term follow-up were NCD:

Cardiovascular Diseases

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Musculoskeletal Diseases

Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases

47.9%

22.4%

16.2%

13.5%

Others

Importantly, these diseases share some common modifiable risk factors.

Risk Factors

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Smoking

Unhealthy Diet

Alcohol Misuse

Hypertension

Excess Weight

Adverse Lipid Profile

Physical Inactivity

Diseases

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Cardiovascular Diseases

Cancer

Diabetes Mellitus

Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Modifying these risk factors represents a golden opportunity to realize massive benefits in terms of averting suffering, reducing carbon emission and bringing down the cost of healthcare on the community.

 

As individual healthcare professionals, we need to incorporate disease prevention into our care and regard it as a priority. This can be done by providing relevant and practical health information during patient encounter.

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Preventing diseases

avert unnecessary suffering and

reduces the need for carbon-intensive investigation and treatments

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We should also support public policies that builds a society with health supporting environment, enabling people to make healthy choices and live healthily. Policies that strengthen the social determinants of health would ensure access to education, jobs with livable wages, food security, affordable housing, clean and safe environment, and adequate recreational and green space.

  • Proactively counsel patients on risk factor modification and provide access to practical information (see links below)

    • Stop smoking and alcohol misuse

    • Take at least 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables a day

    • Avoid excessive salt intake

    • Engage in not less than 30 minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity a day

  • Encourage patients to participate in cancer screening programs and vaccination programs

  • Support public policies that strengthens social determinants of health

Some practical ideas
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Successful stories

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Putting a stop to heart attacks

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In the 1960s, Finland bore a massive burden of ischemic heart disease, with the world's highest coronary artery disease related mortality recorded in North Karelia. The North Karelia Project was launched in 1972 to reduce risk factor prevalence through population-based intervention, targeting smoking, unhealthy dietary habits and high blood pressure. The government, health care providers, schools, NGOs, mass media and the food industry were involved. Comprehensive interventions were delivered, including campaigns, legislation, medical screening and counselling.

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National smoking rate reduced
from 60% to 31%

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Significant reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol levels

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Coronary mortality decreased

by 82% in 2011

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Ideas and challenges

Has preventive care programmes been given priority? Can more resources and money be invested in this? How much of total health expenditure is spent on it?

 

Can we engage other parties, such as NGOs, educational institutions, and the mass media to publicize the importance of healthy lifestyle?

 

Can we engage the government and provide health advice on public policies? Such as policies that encourage smoking cessation, legislation on safe healthy foods, etc.

 

Can we engage the food industry and impart information on healthy diets? Such as catering companies that prepare school meals, or school cafeterias.

Executive leaders
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Can I give preventive health information about the risk factors the patient has? Can I provide access to further written information?

 

Can other methods be used to engage patients in preventive care conversations? Such as posters, leaflets and educational videos in clinic waiting area

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Doctors & nurses
Catering managers
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Do the meals we serve reflect the goals and purpose of the institution?

 

Can the portion and components of the meals be adjusted to align with the healthy eating food pyramids, and reduce food waste?

Dietitians

Can simple healthy recipes be given to patients during counselling?

 

Can cooking workshops be offered to patients and staff?

 

Can advice be given to catering managers in the hospital on the portion and components of hospital meals?

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