NAIROBI, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenya should leverage new policy and legislative tools and ramp up awareness campaigns in a bid to contain the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), health advocates said Wednesday ahead of World Kidney Day to be marked on Thursday.
Speaking at a virtual forum in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, the advocates stressed that a shift to healthy diets and lifestyles, backed by political goodwill and forward-looking policies, is urgent to reduce the incidence of diseases fueled by sedentary lifestyles, alcohol, and tobacco consumption.
Some of NCDs, like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory infections, and mental disorders, currently account for about 50 percent of adult hospital admissions in Kenya, noted Anne Swakei, program officer at the NCD Alliance Kenya, a health lobby.
"Other risk factors for these diseases include unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and air pollution. We need to create awareness and educate communities on practices that limit the risk of NCDs," Swakei said.
She called on the industry to adhere to regulations such as front-of-package nutrition labeling to help consumers make healthy dietary choices and reduce the high intake of sugar, salt, and fat, which are fueling the country's obesity and diabetes crisis.
Marked annually on March 13, World Kidney Day aims to raise awareness about renal ailments, risk factors, and prevention measures, with the 2025 edition running under the theme of "Prioritizing Early Detection for Healthy Kidneys."
Swakei noted that Kenya has developed a strategic framework, whose implementation will be crucial in minimizing hospital admissions and fatalities associated with chronic kidney ailments that are directly linked to diabetes and hypertension.
Samuel Ochieng, chief executive of Consumer Information Network, a consumer rights advocacy group, emphasized that Kenya should enact laws that promote citizens' right to healthy diets and safe handling and processing of food as part of interventions to manage NCDs.
Ochieng also urged the application of World Health Organization guidelines on environmental health and physical exercises at the grassroots level to alleviate NCD burden in the country.
