Nakhon Sawan centre seen as a pilot project to promote better habits among ageing population
PUBLISHED : 16 Nov 2023 at 18:52
The Department of Health is promoting its first lifestyle medicine clinic to encourage local residents to develop better living habits.
Thailand has become an ageing society where more than 20% of the population are senior citizens, said Dr Achara Nitiapinyasakul, the department’s acting director-general, on a recent visit to the regional health promotion centre in Nakhon Sawan province.
More than half of the senior population are in poor health, mainly from chronic non-communicable diseases caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, she said.
As such, the department aims to improve healthcare with a focus on lifestyle, while encouraging them to adopt sustainable and healthy routines.
Dr Achara said the mission of the lifestyle clinic is to promote health knowledge, self-care skills and family care.
It also aims to promote a healthy diet, good sleeping habits, better stress management, good relationship management, controls on smoking and drinking, and more physical activities.
Dr Sarinna Sangarun, director of the Nakhon Sawan centre, said the clinic opened in March and has been promoting health and wellness in the local community, working together with interdisciplinary experts such as doctors and nutritionists.
She said the clinic has adopted alternative forms of medicine to treat patients with stress and sleeping disorders, such as by prescribing breathing exercises.