RONO HILLS, Mar 18: A national seminar cum awareness camp on “Recent trends on common lifestyle diseases and awareness among the youths of Arunachal Pradesh”, jointly organized by the Department of Zoology, Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, was held here on Friday last.
Attending the programme, Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) Director Dr Moji Jini highlighted the dos and don'ts of avoiding lifestyle diseases and the status of non-communicable diseases in Arunachal Pradesh.
RGU Vice-Chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha, in his message, mentioned that “the state of Arunachal Pradesh which is passing through the phase of rapid societal transition with indiscriminate acceptance of modernized lifestyle among the youth can lead to the similar impact of burden as is evident in the global scenario. As a remedial measure, strengthening the current public health recommendations for the observance of healthy lifestyle habits is of utmost importance.”
While Prof Sarit Kumar Chaudhuri, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences presented his views on the socio-economic effect of lifestyle diseases, Prof PK Panigrahi, Vice-Chancellor (in-charge), RGU reflected how this fast-moving lifestyle is contributing to this new trend of lifestyle diseases.
Earlier, the programme coordinator Dr Arnab Ghosh stated that the aim of the seminar was to disseminate knowledge and create awareness about lifestyle diseases such as heart diseases, stroke, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and cancer. He said, these non-communicable diseases are rapidly becoming the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. The prevalence and impact of these conditions can no longer be ignored or side-lined.
During the technical sessions, Prof Soma Banerjee from the Center for Liver Research, School of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Kolkata delivered a talk on the topic “Genetic Factors as Predictor of Alcoholic Liver Diseases and Novel Therapeutic Challenges”. Mairembam Stelin Singh and Dr Nikhil Kumar Mahnot from RGU delivered lectures. The technical session concluded with the keynote address by Prof Satinath Mukhopadhyay, an endocrinologist from the Dept of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research, and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata who talked about the “The burden of diabetes in India”.
Earlier, the seminar started with the welcome address by Dr Daniel Mize, head of the Dept of Zoology and the convenor of the seminar. Information brochures describing the risk factors and management options of lifestyle diseases were distributed among the participants and the same was discussed with all the participants through an awareness camp.