LEGAZPI CITY – Department of Health (DOH) Bicol identifies 73 percent out of two million Bikolanos with health risk factors during the community-based house-to-house mass Philippine Package for Essential Non-Communicable Diseases Interventions (PhilPEN) risk assessment in the month of March.
During the assessment, residents ages 20 years old and above are asked of their usual eating habits, medical conditions including drug maintenance, and amount of daily exercise among others.
The study aims to seek the preventable risks which includes smoking, alcohol drinking, eating fatty and salty foods, not eating healthy foods, and not exercising which may cause hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), peripheral vascular diseases, diabetes and many more.
According to Dr. Monrey Isaiah Mancilla, DOH Bicol Non-Communicable Diseases cluster head, their research entails that hypertension is the usual health risk among Bikolanos which is currently at 7.50%.
“Karamihan ay meron na pong persistent na hypertension. Ibig sabihin mataas po ang BP [blood pressure] ng karamihan sa ating mga kababayan. Ito po ‘yung kailangan po natin gawan ng aksyon, pagtulungan kung gayon sila po ay mai-refer natin [sa primary care facilities],” Mancilla said.
Moreover, he said that 78% of the assessed individuals have no visual screening.
“Hindi po nagpapacheck-up ng kani-kanilang mga mata. Kaya naman po nakikita na rin po natin dyan na mataas na din ‘yung bilang ng mga taong may panlalabo ng mata,” Mancilla explained.
In addition, fatty and salty food intake is among the second highest risk factor with 63.94% that can cause high blood and diabetes.
“Kasabay din po dyan ‘yung kaunti ‘yung kinakain na fruits and vegetables and ‘yung hindi po nag e-exercise ng at least two (2) and a half hour in a week. Kaya naman po makikita talaga natin at ine-expect natin na tataas ang bilang ng mga tao or Bikolano na maaring magkaroon ng highblood at diabetes,” he added.
The assessment garners responses from various provinces in Bicol, 80% of the target population in ages 20 to 59 are covered, while the remaining 20 percent in the population of 60 years old and above are also included.
𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀
Mancilla reiterates the need to prevent these communicable diseases which are very common but acquired large cases of deaths.
The health promotion under the campaign ‘Health Is Life’ aims to expand information to the public on how to prevent this kind of diseases
“Ang focus po ay ang health promotion nang sa gayon po ang lahat ng mga Bikolano, Bikolana at mga Pilipino ay matutunan po nila kung ano ‘yung mga tamang kaalaman para ma-prevent po nila ‘yung pagkakaroon ng mga sakit,” he explained.
He added that KonsulTayo aims to encourage people to get the care treatment they needed.
“So, the campaign primarily targets po the public to know what services are under the primary care (and) who provides care permits themselves,” Mancilla said.
Meanwhile, the conducted risk assessment will follow more health treatment including risk screening, risk prediction, and risk management to prevent deaths caused by the non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
“Matulungan natin sila na maprevent sa [sakit], ma-counsel, mabigyan na ng tamang laboratory test, [at] mabigyan na ng tamang gamot kung kinakailangan. Kasi ayaw po natin na may namamatay na Pilipino or Bikolano sa mga preventable causes lang din naman.” | Jemimah So