USAID Health Campaign Promotes Healthy Habits around Diet and Physical Activity

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Preventive Medicine Department (PMD) of the Ministry of Health launched a campaign that will help reduce the incidence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes by using social media and community outreach.

Under the slogan “Live Wise, Healthy Life,” the campaign aims to encourage the Cambodian people to establish new habits of healthy eating and physical activity. It also promotes the benefits of early diagnosis, encouraging people to visit a trained health care provider to get screened for hypertension, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases.

“Like many countries around the world, Cambodia is experiencing a rise in the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which has been associated with urbanization and changes in lifestyle as a result of economic development,” Dr. John Eyres, Director of the Office of Public Health and Education, USAID/Cambodia, said at the campaign launch event on September 20. He hopes the campaign will inspire Cambodians to adopt a healthy lifestyle, improved diet, and increased physical activity.

Dr. Kol Hero, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health added that “reducing the burden of NCDs is a key priority of the Royal Government of Cambodia. This campaign contributes to the fight against hypertension and type 2 diabetes which is not only a health challenge but also a development challenge.”

The campaign is part of the Promoting Healthy Behaviors (PHB) Activity, a social and behavior change project with the goal to improve health behaviors among Cambodians and ensure they seek and receive quality healthcare with decreased financial hardship.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Pysal Eart
Deputy Chief of Party, Promoting Healthy Behaviors (PHB) Activity
Email: epysal@psi.org.kh

Dr. Kol Hero, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health

Dr. John Eyres, Director of the Office of Public Health and Education, USAID/Cambodia