Aim: In three years, we hope to: 1) decrease smoking prevalence from 60% to 50% among adult men and from 15% to 10% among schoolchildren aged 12–18 and 2) Increase the level of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption among the general population, workers and schoolchildren aged 12–18.
Click here >> for statistics about the risk factors and chronic disease in Sousse.
Intervention activities
As with all CIH projects >> interventions will take place in four locations:
Workplaces
- Health education for workers will focus on healthy behaviours. The occupational heath physician will be involved by organising three sessions of four hours per year, covering all employees.
- Structural changes to encourage the adoption of healthy behaviours, such as making healthier foods available, encouraging the use of stairs instead of lifts, and no-smoking policies.
- Involvement and support of management and occupational health to facilitate preventive action in work settings.
Neighbourhoods
- Policy change, with a focus on recreational services and sports facilities for increased access to public spaces and opportunities for physical activity.
- Health education to promote healthy lifestyles and encourage communities to advocate for smoke-free environments, increased access to fruit and vegetable and opportunities for regular physical activity.
Health centres
- Improve preventive care services for better chronic disease management
- Continuing medical education (CME) through an annual three-day seminar that trains health care professionals to counsel patients about healthy habits related to CVD risk factors. CME workshops about CVD risk factors and healthy habits linked to the chronic diseases prevention will be the focus on management of CVD risk factors in primary care.
Schools
- Health education will focus on smoking, physical activity and healthy diet. For each risk factor, the educational activities will include one month of intensive training of two hours a week, one month of self-education by schoolchildren with their families, and a month devoted to lessons in school rooms with the teacher and the primary health care physician.
- Environmental (structural) change
- For more information, click here >>
What is already being done in Tunisia?
Click here >> to read about some existing projects.