World Health Day
Date: 7 April
Through the World Health Day (WHD) process, WHO is seeking to stimulate a global health debate on the epidemiological shift in the global burden of disease and the factors that are fuelling this process of change. In most parts of the world, non-communicable diseases have become a major epidemic. This is due, in part, to a rapid transition in lifestyles leading to reduced physical activity, changing diets and increased tobacco use. This trend is present in all societies, rich and poor, developed and developing.
Poverty, violence, rapid social and economic changes, lack of education, inadequate or total absence of health services, and a lack of clear policy direction, contribute as much to the increase in cases of cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases, as they do to AIDS and malaria. WHO believes that this is the time for the global debate to be directed as much towards prevention as to cure. With an increased focus on prevention, the entire public health community stands to gain.
A major cause of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity is lack of physical activity. WHO estimates that lack of activity leads to more than 2 million deaths per year. It is likely that one-third of cancers can be prevented by maintaining a healthy diet, normal weight and physical activity throughout one’s life. A combination of improper diet, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are estimated to be the cause of up to 80% of premature coronary heart disease. In countries as diverse as China, Finland and the US, studies have shown that even relatively modest lifestyle changes are sufficient to prevent the development of almost 60% of type 2 diabetes cases.
To draw the attention of policy makers, the public health community and civil society to these issues, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organization, has announced that WHD 2002 will emphasize the importance of fitness and a healthy lifestyle. The need for, and the beneficial effects of, physical activity will be the theme of WHD activities worldwide.
Physical activity can be a practical means to achieve numerous health gains, both directly or indirectly. It can bring down rates of violence among young people, promote tobacco-free lifestyles, and decrease other risky behaviours, such as unsafe sex or illicit drug use. It can also reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness among the elderly and improve their physical and mental agility.
WHD will involve multiple settings—from schools to worksites, stadia to urban neighbourhoods. The international sports fraternity, represented by the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is already linked with WHO’s efforts, turning the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea, and the Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City into tobacco-free, health-promoting events.
