Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003

Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Use of the Manual on Prime and Supportive
Messages 3. Section 1 : Healthy Lifestyle 4. Section 2 : Healthy Eating 5. Section 3 : Physical Activity 6. Section 4 : Not Smoking 7. Section 5 : Handling Stress

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Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
1. Introduction

1.1 Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 1991 - 2002

The Healthy Lifestyle Campaign of the Ministry of Health began in 1991 as a response to the recognition of the central role that lifestyle plays in health and disease. The campaign was launched on the 25th May 1991 with the first theme ie cardiovascular diseases.

The short and medium-term objectives of the campaign were (a) to increase the awareness and knowledge of the Malaysian public about diseases that arise as a result of unhealthy lifestyles and, (b) to motivate them to adopt health-promoting practices and lifestyle. The long-term objective is the result of these changes, that is, in the lowering of morbidity and mortality rates from lifestyle-related diseases.

The campaign was carried out in two phases, each running over six years with six annual themes. Phase I from 1991 - 1996, had themes that were disease-oriented as follows :

Cardiovascular Diseases AIDS/STD Prevention and Control Food Hygiene Promotion of Child Health Cancer Diabetes

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

For each of these themes the lifestyle risk factors such as unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity, cigarette smoking and stress were the main messages given to the public.

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Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
Phase II of the campaign focused on the specific behaviors and their longterm effects on lifestyles. This approach was to provide knowledge and to facilitate the enhancement of skills for people to adopt the healthy behavior. The themes for this phase were as follows :

Healthy Eating Exercise and Physical Fitness Safety and Prevention of Injuries Mental Health Healthy Family Healthy Environment

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

1.2 Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
The current healthy lifestyle campaign which will end in the year 2002 with the theme `Promotion of a Healthy Environment' will be continued with the aim of promoting health behavioural changes so that Malaysians can attain better health.
Under the overall theme of `Be healthy for life', the focus will be on 4 basic elements that are relevant and central to this concept of `healthy lifestyle' as follows :
i. Healthy eating ii. Exercise and physical activities iii. Not smoking iv. Handling stress

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Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
The theme `Be Healthy For Life' will be the unifying common theme for the campaign in subsequent years. `Be Healthy For Life' reflects the campaign's emphasis and focus on the action that people can take to promote their own health. It also embodies the underlying concept in health promotion that people can be empowered to take action on the determinants of health. Each annual campaign will focus on one particular setting and its inhabitants.

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Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
Use of the Manual on Prime and Supportive Messages

This manual contains the main messages, supporting messages and supporting information on healthy lifestyle and the 4 elements of the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003, namely :-

Section 1 : Section 2 : Section 3 : Section 4 : Section 5 :

Healthy Lifestyle Healthy Eating Physical Activity Not Smoking Handling Stress

Each prime message contains the key or main message concerning the topic. The supportive messages elaborates further on the prime message whereas the supportive information clarifies and explains in greater detail the supportive messages. There are main messages and supporting messages in the manual.

The Manual on Prime and Supportive Messages serves as a reference and can be used as a guide by the staff of the Ministry of Health or other agencies in carrying out their educational activities such as talks, discussions or dialogues.

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Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PRIME MESSAGES
1. Healthy lifestyle improves your health and gives you a sense of well-being.

1. HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IMPROVES YOUR HEALTH AND GIVES YOU A SENSE OF WELL-BEING.
1.1 Healthy lifestyle is the regular pattern of human behaviour which can influence a person’s health.
The lifestyle of a particular person or group of people is the living conditions, behaviours, and habits that are typical of them or are chosen by them. (Collins Cobuild Learner’s Dictionary, 1996). Behaviour refers to the way a person does things whereas habit refers to something that is often or regularly carried out by a person. Putting all these terms together in the context of a “healthy lifestyle”, they refer to :
• How people live or the manner in which they conduct their lives which can influence their health status and well-being.
• Healthy habits and behaviours that characterize the daily, normal lives of people.
These habits and behaviours can be imposed on persons through social norms, peer pressure or regulations, or adopted by them voluntarily.
Behaviours which can influence a person’s health are what one eats, drinks, whether he/she is smoking or not, how one keeps fit and trim

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Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
and copes with stress. For example, when you smoke, your are taking in harmful substances into your body which will damage your health. When you exercise, you are moving towards better health because exercise helps you to improve your fitness, strength and stamina as well as helps to control your weight.
1.2 Unhealthy lifestyle increases your risk of getting certain diseases.
Many people in modern, sophisticated and affluent societies such as ours have developed unhealthy lifestyle practices perhaps due to several factors. This include factors such as rapid development, economic progress resulting in people having more disposable income and consequently more money to spend, automation and the attendant sedentary lifestyle, easy availability of fast food and unhealthy substances like cigarettes and the influence of advertising and peer groups. Consequently, we are now experiencing a rising trend of unhealthy lifestyle practices among our population, such as cigarette smoking, eating unhealthy diets, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and inadequate exercise or not exercising at all. These unhealthy practices increase your risk of getting diseases like cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes and certain types of cancer.
1.3 Everyone should practise a healthy lifestyle regardless of age.
• A healthy lifestyle is an asset for daily living whether we are young or old. We need to achieve and maintain good health so that we can carry out our daily activities easily and to the best of our ability. Good health helps us to be productive and enables us to enjoy life to the fullest. The key to good health throughout life is to practise a healthy lifestyle which includes exercising, not smoking, eating healthily and learning to handle stress.

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Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003
A healthy lifestyle :• Improves your health status. • Reduces your risk for heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure. • Makes you look and feel better about yourself. • Enables you to have more stamina and energy to enjoy life.

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