The "Doha Declaration," prepared by international experts in lifestyle medicine from 21 countries, articulates a shared global consensus regarding the importance of lifestyle medicine in building more sustainable and equitable healthcare systems.
ST. LOUIS, Mo., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Leaders in lifestyle medicine from around the world have announced a formal declaration recognizing the increasing global burden of non-communicable disease and establishing a consensus on the critical importance of a lifestyle medicine approach to building more sustainable and equitable healthcare systems. The "Doha Declaration," published here, is being shared during Lifestyle Medicine Week, the annual global celebration held this year May 18-24.
The declaration grew from the February convening of more than two dozen international experts in lifestyle medicine from 21 countries at a forum in Qatar to advocate for the growing medical specialty as an effective approach to treating noncommunicable chronic disease and transforming health worldwide. The event was organized by The Institute for Population Health (IPH) of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), the Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance (LMGA), and the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM). It was hosted by IPH and included experts from WCM-Q, the Qatar Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (UN), and LMGA.
The declaration is intended for use by lifestyle medicine medical professional associations and societies worldwide to effectively articulate a global consensus for lifestyle medicine as a potential solution to unsatisfactory clinical outcomes, rising health costs and frustration by patients due to the ineffective care they receive. Governmental bodies, local and regional public health agencies, health care and health education institutions, advocacy groups and research institutions are among the organizations for which the declaration could support collaboration.
Noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes kill 41 million people each year, which is 74% of all deaths globally, according to the World Health Organization. Every year, 17 million people die from a noncommunicable disease before age 70.
"We have assimilated the science and experienced the results of non-communicable disease prevention and reversal in individual patients, groups and communities using lifestyle medicine therapeutic interventions," the declaration states. "We know that, when fully applied using the scientific evidence from multidisciplinary fields currently available, a whole-health lifestyle medicine approach can improve patient satisfaction, decrease health care costs, and maximize health outcomes…We find this inspiring, energizing, and rational. It has become why we do what we do. It is the new, transformational approach we urge all to adopt for our world."
Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connections and avoidance of risky substances —also provides effective prevention for these conditions.
"Recognizing lifestyle medicine as a fundamental part of health care isn't a luxury; it's a necessity," said Ravinder Mamtani, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, vice-chair of the Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance Advisory Board, and vice dean for the Institute for Population Health, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. "This approach lays the groundwork for easing the disease burden, reducing health care costs, and enriching the quality of our lives. The Doha Declaration will be pivotal for advancing lifestyle medicine globally."
Sandra Lanza, MD, DipIBLM, president of the Chilean Society of Lifestyle Medicine, called the declaration "an instrument that allows us to promote health promotion efforts at the national level, in South America and around the world."
Klára Koncz, MD, DipIBLM, board member for the Hungarian Society of Preventive and Lifestyle Medicine, said "The importance of the Doha Declaration is that we could be an active part of a global change which transforms health care—how we treat ourselves and our patients, with a method that is simple, natural and well established."
Lifestyle medicine is a rapidly growing field. Since the inaugural certification exam in 2017, nearly 6,700 clinicians—5,000 physicians and 1,700 health professionals— worldwide in 75 countries have become certified in lifestyle medicine.
A global impact partnership announced May 14 between Blue Zones and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) will create an additional certification status: "Blue Zones-Certified Physician" or "Blue Zones-Certified Healthcare Professional."
The Blue Zones certification opportunity will debut in early 2025 and be exclusive to physicians and medical professionals trained and certified in lifestyle medicine by the IBLM. Within the U.S., this exclusivity will apply to physicians trained and certified by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and non-physicians by ACLM. Physicians and other health professionals interested in learning more about earning certification to practice lifestyle medicine, the prerequisite to the Blue Zones-certified physician and healthcare professional recognition, may register their interest here.
ABOUT IBLM
The International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM) is the global lifestyle medicine certification body that sets and maintains standards for assessment and credentialing of physicians and doctorate/master's level health professionals in evidence-based lifestyle medicine. Certification as an IBLM diplomate represents specialized knowledge in the practice of lifestyle medicine and distinguishes a health professional as having achieved competency in the field. IBLM is committed to the highest global scientific standards and proactive innovation to advance lifestyle medicine's promise of being a vital solution component to the world's unsustainable epidemic of noncommunicable disease.
ABOUT LMGA
The Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance (LMGA) represents the worldwide network of medical professional societies that bring together physicians and allied health professionals practicing and learning about the field of lifestyle medicine. The LMGA unites organizations under one banner for the purpose of collaboration, sharing of knowledge and best practices, standardization of the field, advocacy, and to amplify the health restoration story that lifestyle medicine delivers. Uniting national Lifestyle Medicine organizations on every continent, the LMGA enables global sharing of educational and clinical practice resources and sparks opportunities for synergistic collaboration, where medical professional leaders of all nations are working together to decrease the unsustainable global pandemic of non-communicable disease. The LMGA's vision statement is "A world free of non-communicable disease."
Media Contact
Agnese Lapsa-Lešinske, Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance, 37060346264, [email protected], https://lifestylemedicineglobal.org/
SOURCE Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance
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