Friday, October 11, 2024, 1:59 p.m.
The data referring to the population’s lifestyle and health habits speak for themselves: the WHO estimates that modifying them would reduce cases of premature heart disease and diabetes by 80%; and between 30% to 50% of cancers, precisely the most frequent causes of mortality in our country, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics. This is the reason why doctors insist so much on the prevention of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, circulatory and lung diseases, all of them with common causes or risk factors such as smoking, physical inactivity or harmful alcohol consumption, and unhealthy diets, among others.
On the contrary, following a healthy and balanced diet, having a healthy weight, engaging in regular physical activity and abstaining from consuming tobacco, alcohol and other toxic substances, contributes to reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases, improves physical and mental capacity, and promotes healthy aging. But do we know how many years of life we ​​could gain if we changed any of these habits?
This is the question that ‘The Time Machine’ will answer, a project that Fundación MAPFRE presented today, in collaboration with the Preventive Activities and Health Promotion Program, PAPPS, of the semFYC, with the aim of raising awareness among population of the impact that a certain lifestyle has on life expectancy and quality of life, while showing that years can be gained.
This campaign addresses healthy habits from a different perspective, to show what changing them can mean for our life expectancy. Through a novel approach, experts will show how to live longer and better, raising awareness among each participant about the real situation in which they find themselves and how to improve their life expectancy by introducing changes in their lifestyle within everyone’s reach.
Eva Arranz, a doctor from Fundación MAPFRE, participated in the presentation of the campaign, highlighting that “in this campaign, a complete medical lifestyle questionnaire has been used for the first time in Spain that allows us to analyze our habits and identify which ones we can improve the most.
Likewise, he highlighted that “during the initiative, an illustrated guide prepared jointly by the Foundation and semFYC is provided that will give the keys to living longer and better, making it easier for the participant to know what they can do to improve their lifestyle and gain years of life. ».
Advice and conclusions that may be shocking to visitors will also be provided, such as “knowing that you can gain up to 14.1 years of life with a healthy lifestyle; or that, if you exercise regularly and also maintain an adequate weight, you can gain up to 7.2 years of life.
In addition, Juan Carlos Caballero, Councilor for Institutional Relations, Media, Transparency and Civil Protection, participated in the event; and Asier López Catena, member of the resident committee of SoVaMFiC, Valencian Society of Family and Community Medicine, who stated: «There is no doubt that certain changes in lifestyle are effective in improving people’s health. and reduce the burden of disease. Addressing them in a joint and integrated manner improves the impact of promotion and prevention actions, as well as their efficiency.
And he added that “the high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles makes it necessary to intervene on them, raising awareness among the population of how habits can affect our life expectancy. Without a doubt, showing them how many years they can gain by adopting a healthy lifestyle can be very effective. At semFYC we have been transmitting to the population for years the importance of having a healthy lifestyle to live longer and better through PAPPS-semFYC, highlighting the fundamental role of the family doctor in this field,” he concluded.
FREE MEDICAL TESTS
The activities of this campaign are carried out through a personalized bus traveling through different cities in Spain in which qualified personnel perform different free medical tests (blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, weight, etc.).
Once the tests are completed, a report is generated that each visitor can take away in print and which reveals the metabolic and vascular age of the participant in comparison with their chronological age.
The document, which can also be consulted online, includes a series of healthy habits that, if acquired, could translate into years of life gained.
‘THE TIME MACHINE’ IN ONLINE VERSION
In addition, those who wish to do so or have not been able to visit the bus can take their tests through the Fundación MAPFRE Time Machine website, where they will also enjoy the time machine experience virtually. And from where you can download documents such as the “Decalogue to live more, better and happier” and the guide “5 keys to live longer and better.”
5 KEYS TO LIVE MORE AND BETTER
In order to promote a healthy lifestyle that allows not only to gain years of life but also to gain them in health, a group of experts from Fundación MAPFRE and semFYC have developed the guide “5 keys to living longer and better.” This edition, carried out by specialist doctors from both institutions, has been validated by prominent members of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine. The guide, based on publications and scientific references, is informative in nature and provides detailed advice to improve each of our lifestyle habits.
The 5 keys are: eat a healthy diet, do physical activity, take care of your own emotional well-being, maintain sufficient and restful sleep; and avoid tobacco and alcohol. The text guides patients towards a healthy lifestyle that will not only allow them to live longer with a higher quality of life, but also reduce the risk of suffering from non-communicable diseases. It aims to motivate people to follow that healthy lifestyle and provides practical information on how to do so. The guide is now available in digital version and soon in paper format.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
‘The Time Machine’ is installed from today, Thursday until Saturday (October 10, 11 and 12) in Mediana on Avda. Aragón next to Plaza Zaragoza in Valencia, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The mobile unit is fully accessible for people with reduced mobility.