Quezon City Launches #healthierQC Campaign VS Obesity and Diabetes
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.
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.
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