Let's all fight Noncommunicable Diseases by promoting #healthierQC
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista announced that Quezon City is building a #healthierQC in a commitment to fight non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the leading cause of death in the world today.
#Cities4Health event took place at FEU Diliman, Quezon City
This initiative is in collaboration with Partnership for Healthy Cities (PHC), a global network of cities led by Michael R. Bloomberg, a World Health Organization (WHO) Global Ambassador for NCDs and former Mayor of New York City.
NCDs — including stroke, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases—are on the rise and the leading cause of death in the Philippines. With the majority of the world’s population now living in urban settings, cities are uniquely positioned to transform the fight against diseases and injuries by implementing policies to significantly reduce exposure to risk factors.
To reduce deaths, illness, and injuries related to NCDs, Quezon City launched #healthierQC, a campaign that aims to encourage healthier diets among children and youth. This means increasing the consumption of nutritious food and water, and avoiding consumption of junk food, processed food and sugary drinks.
“#healthierQC will form part of every activity of the City Health Department of Quezon City, especially under the nutrition division. On-the-ground events will include assemblies where we can showcase these videos, the Teen Walk To Health where most of the participants are the youth especially the high school students who consume a lot of sugary food and junk food,” ,” said Dr. Verdades Linga, Quezon City health officer.
Linga said that #healthierQC will not only target the youth, but parents and businesses as well, emphasizing the need for companies to address these thrusts in public health.
"We also want businesses to acknowledge the need for improving the health of consumers, especially the young people---the most vulnerable sector of society,” Linga said.
Quezon City will work alongside Bloomberg Philanthropies and implementing partner Vital Strategies to deploy proven solutions in saving lives and improving environments where people live, work, and play.
“The Partnership for Healthy Cities unites mayors who are committed to helping their citizens live healthier lives and to reduce NCDs and injuries,” said WHO Global Ambassador Bloomberg. “The actions these mayors take can prevent millions of needless deaths and protect the health of generations to come, while at the same time making their cities stronger and more prosperous.”
“In Quezon City, we are committed to building capacities so that our residents can have longer, healthier, and happier lives. We encourage the community—our parents, teachers, schools, and our youth—to get behind #healthierQC. We believe that, in the long run, being healthy is the best gift we could ever give to our loved ones. Nutritious diets are, ultimately, a better way of showing how much we care for our family and our children,” said Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista.
By implementing high-impact interventions, Quezon City will reduce the number of premature deaths caused by NCDs and their risk factors. As a part of Partnership for Healthy Cities, Quezon City has gained access to a global network of city leaders and public health experts working to prevent NCDs and injuries, along with a seed grant to jumpstart the effort.
About the Partnership for Healthy Cities:
The Partnership for Healthy Cities is a prestigious global network of cities committed to saving lives by preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with WHO, as well as Vital Strategies, this initiative will enable cities around the world to deliver a high-impact policy or programmatic intervention to reduce NCD risk factors in their communities. For more information, visit: https://partnershipforhealthycities.bloomberg.org/
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