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NCDs, deaths on the rise for lack of physical activity


Published : 31 Aug 2021 09:40 PM

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) currently account for 67 per cent of annual deaths in Bangladesh. The non-communicable diseases and the death rate are on the rise due to the lack of necessary physical activity, unhealthy eating habits, tobacco consumption and unhealthy lifestyle. 

According to the latest census, the number of children under 15 in Bangladesh is more than 58 million. They don’t have the opportunity to do enough physical activity. As a result, they are at the risk of non-communicable diseases. Regular walking to school can be a solution. It improves the children’s physical health and creates the opportunity to socialize by talking to friends. As a result, the mental health of children will also be better.

Speakers at a programme with school children mentioned the points, while they also said that it would also be possible to reduce carbon emissions by reducing dependence on mechanical vehicles through walking to school. There will be a positive effect on the nature of life. The risk of Covid-19 infection is less for the children they walk to school rather than in a closed vehicle, said the speakers. 

AstraZenecaa, a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust and Rayerbazar High School jointly arranged the programme on ‘Walking to School to Control Non-communicable Diseases’ at the school auditorium in the capital on Tuesday (August 31).

Gaous Pearee, director of WBB Trust, delivered the welcome speech, while the school headmistress Meherunnesa, its teacher Tahazzjot Hossain, and Proma Saha, Assistant Project Officer of the WBB Trust, also spoke on the occasion, among others. Ziaur Rahman, Senior Project Officer of WBB Trust, moderated the event and Naima Akhter, Project Officer of the trust, presented the keynote paper. 

In her keynote, Naima Akhter said that currently there are not enough fields and parks for children in the capital. As a result, the children are deprived of the opportunity for physical activity what they need. For this reason, the risk of various diseases is increasing day by day, while the lack of fields and parks create negative mentality among the children. Walking to school will meet the physical labour needs of the children. It improves physical health, reduces traffic congestion, saves time and travel costs. In such a way, it controls non-communicable diseases by reducing air pollution and carbon emissions, she added.