National Day of Health and Wellbeing in the City: Initiatives

ROME – The first National Day of Health and Wellbeing in Cities was celebrated yesterday in Rome. Promoted by Health City Institute and Cittadinanzattiva under the patronage of the Ministry of Health, ANCI – National Association of Italian Municipalities and Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the Day was created to attract the attention and stimulate action of mayors on the need and urgency promote health in cities as a common good. The need stems from the growth, in urban areas, of chronic noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity, a phenomenon closely related to the increase in population that today represents the main risk for human health and development.

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More than half of the world's population
"In 2010, for the first time in history, it was observed that more than half of the world's population resided in the city and that it was not the same. in 2050 the estimate of the urban population was 70 – explains in a statement Andrea Lenzi, Coordinator of Health City Institute and Chairman of the Committee for Biosafety and Biotechnology of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – As a corollary, we find a growth of chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, strongly related to the profound lifestyle changes that all this involves in the population. "

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How the lifestyle changes
"Urban development, to which the world has witnessed and badisted, has profoundly changed the way of life and transformed the environmental and social context in which we live, creating problems for people. equity, generating tension and the introduction of threats to the health of the population – noted the hon. Roberto Pella, Vicar Vice-President Anci and President of the Parliamentary Quality Intergroup of the City – The current configuration of cities and, more generally, urbanization, pose many risks for public and individual health, but also many opportunities to exploit with a conscious and careful administration. Strategies for action need to be identified to sensitize governments, regions, cities and citizens to the importance of health promotion in urban contexts, imagining a new model of urban wellbeing "

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Fighting against the epidemic of diseases
"To counter the phenomenon of increased obesity and diabetes among citizens – added Antonio Gaudioso, Secretary General of Cittadinanzattiva – it is necessary to promote policies and projects that raise awareness of the importance of practicing physical activity, following good nutrition, increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, reducing the concentration of salt, sugars and of fats in foods, to limit those that are highly caloric and to discourage "alcohol abuse."

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The Giornata
On the occasion of the National Day, Blue Diabetes Blue Circle was established in Rome, dedicated to the information of the citizens and realized in collaboration with the Institute of Health, Cittadinanzattiva, Cia-Agricoltori italiani, IBDO -Observatory Italian Barometer of Diabetes, FederDiabete Lazio, IAPB Italy Onlus-International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, FIDAL-Italian Federation of Athletics and Play4Sport. The initiative is part of the international Changing Cities Diabetes project, carried out by UCL-University College London and Steno Diabetes Center and supported by Novo Nordisk.

The Gardens of Health
Among the main activities presented in the village, the "gardens of health", laboratories focused on the promotion of the correct lifestyles, which aim to involve the citizens in healthy choices, from the youngest and the families. The project sees among promoters Health City Institute, ANCI-Urban Health Group, CittadinanzAttiva and Cia-Agricoltori Italiani. "The project aims to involve municipal authorities in the creation of" Health Gardens "in the city, on the model of the one promoted to the White House by Michelle Obama, whose goal is to provide practical information to children, teenagers and families. on the correct diet, the seasonality of fruits and vegetables, the risks of unhealthy lifestyles. An initiative with an important educational objective, which will talk about health, the quality of fresh foods and how they can integrate into a healthy diet, "concluded Mauro Di Zio, Cia national vice president -Agricoltori Italiani