dailynews

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. Mark Twain

dailyhealth
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Gugulethu Nyazema

SENIOR WRITER

nyazemag@dailynews.co.zw

Asthma management can be costly.

tion (WHO) estimates that 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. According to WHO,

Asthma is a public health problem not just for highincome countries; it occurs in all countries regardless of the level of development. Most asthma-related deaths occur in low and low-

er-middle income countries, Today is World Asthma Day, an annual event organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma (Gina) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.

Pre-ordered school lunches may be healthier

YOUNG students are more likely to choose healthier school lunches if they can pre-order them, away from the temptations of the sights and aromas of food in the lunch room, a new study finds. The research included nearly 300 students at two elementary schools in upstate New York. Over a four-week period, the students used an electronic system to pre-order their lunchs main dish. About 29 percent of the students selected the healthier entree when they were able to pre-order, but that number dropped to about 15 percent when pre-ordering was not available. Students were also 48 percent less likely to select a healthier main dish and 21 percent more likely to chose a less healthy main dish when they made their choice in the lunch line instead of pre-ordering, the researchers added. Helping children eat healthier The findings demonstrate how a simple environmental change pre-ordering can prompt children to choose healthier food, concluded Andrew Hanks, of Cornell University, and colleagues. How does pre-ordering help children make healthier choices? According to the researchers, preordering could preempt hunger-based, spontaneous selections and eliminate the sensory cues evocative smells and sights that lead to less healthy choices. Hanks and his team say the preordering system used in the study was computer-based, but

DELICIOUS: School lunches ordered from outside are nutritious.

paper-based systems are easy, inexpensive, and an immediately implementable alternative for cash-strapped schools.

The bottom line, they say: A smarter lunchroom is not confined to the space between the cafeteria walls. Heath24

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

STHMA is one of the most common chronic diseases and it is largely treated as a private health matter not warranting public attention, says a local health expert. Manikai Nyandoro, a local doctor, said asthma is slowly becoming prevalent among children and the chronic disease is treated mostly on an emergency basis. The percentage of children reported for asthma has been increasing significantly. It is very much linked to the fact that they were not aware of these asthmatic conditions, he said. The large majority of asthma patients are only treated on an emergency basis when they arrive at a health care facility or hospital with an acute attack of asthma. Part of the problem is that quality-assured asthma inhalers, especially the inhaled corticosteroids that are essential to well-managed asthma, are not available. If they are available, the cost is usually prohibitively expensive. Nyandoro said another barrier is that the health services lack the strategy, systems and trained staff for providing good asthma care. There is a need for the government in Zimbabwe, as in many parts of the developing world, to recognise asthma as a matter warranting attention from public

Asthma treatment, care still expensive

health systems, he said. Untreated and poorly managed asthma leads to suffering and diminished lives. It can also cause disabilities and death, Nyandoro said. An international health expert, Karen Bissell, deputy coordinator, Asthma Drug Facility (ADF), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), stated that the word disability refers to the people who are struggling to breathe. So, the disability would be breathing difficulties. They cant breathe properly and that is the difficulty. They go through the struggle and like that too they look after their families, Bissell said. According to Global Asthma report of 2012, studies show that lack of accessible, affordable essential asthma medicines is one of the biggest barriers to managing asthma effectively. The report states that poorly managed asthma leads to emergency treatment and hospitalisation interventions that are much more costly for patients and health systems than effectively managed treatment. World Health Organisa-

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