There is a saying “When you want it done, put it in the hands of the young ones”. As the leaders of today and the future, the youth population is the largest the world has ever seen and there is only so much the government can do to promote their health and stem the growth of NCDs.

Rwanda is experiencing an upsurge in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and even though Rwanda shares of deaths from NCDs fluctuated substantially in recent years, they tended to increase through the 2000-2019 period ending at 50.4% in 2019 after having seen a rise of up to 14.53% from 2016 and based on current trends, the World Health Organization (WHO) projects NCDs to become the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 [1]

“The awareness level is still low and also our services are not efficient enough.” Dr. François Uwinkindi, division manager of the non-communicable diseases department at RBC said during the official launch of the ‘Healthy Heart Africa’ campaign. ”in Rwanda research shows that 16.2% of people in the range of 18-65 years have high blood pressure which goes up to 29% of people over 35 years, and 46% of people live with hypertension unknowingly” He said. [2]

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as chronic medical conditions that are not acquired or passed from person to person and have a typically long duration and slow progression. Cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes make up the four main types of NCDs. [3]

Advocacy initiatives need to be more innovative

With the times changing, it has been proven that it is possible to bring the younger generation together to get things done while also having fun. NCD advocacy campaigns need to be conducted in more non-traditional ways of long lectures which are most of the time looked at as boring and more hands-on activities like yoga sessions which help people focus and re-energize should be implemented to make these campaigns more engaging and fun. Advocacy and outreaches in the more rural parts of the country are particularly harder to gain traction with people as to them, NCDs like hypertension are usually dubbed as” diseases for rich people” and locals don’t feel the need to be screened for them unless they are feeling particularly unwell and this is where these creative ideas come into play.

These ideas of creativity and innovation are what come with involving the youth in the fight against NCDs. The youth are more in tune with a variety of groups and audiences to whom these campaigns are aimed and the more popular techniques to be able to gain their attention and ensure active participation in the campaigns. Their involvement ensures the efficiency of these campaigns in not only portraying the message to the audience but also enticing them to become advocates for this cause through fun and interactive techniques.

Positive peer influence

The main risk factors associated with NCDs are the use of tobacco, alcohol abuse, unhealthy diets, and insufficient exercise. These are all behaviours that are often adopted by people in their early adulthood and adolescent years and they tend to stick with them throughout their lifetime and end up setting them up for NCDs later in life.

These behaviours at an early age are what lead to the numbers of NCD patients we are seeing today and who are better fitted to help educate the youth on these topics than their very own peers? Often, it isn’t the lack of solutions that makes addressing NCDs difficult, but the need for more holistic and sometimes “appealing” solutions aimed at sparking interest among the people who need these interventions the most. This presents an opportunity for young people to use the knowledge they have about their peers and push them to make healthier lifestyle decisions. With well over 30% of Rwanda’s population being between 14 and 24 years old, [4] focusing on the youth to raise awareness on this topic is more than critical in the long-term fight against NCDs as it is far easier and more affordable as it costs nothing. This is one of the best ways to implement the country’s policy of cutting NCD-related deaths to 25% by 2025.

The youth is a very resourceful population with a lot of optimism and enthusiasm that should be prioritized when thinking about what should be done in the gruesome fight against NCDs in Rwanda. Their involvement will not only reward their tireless efforts and unrelenting voices in the call for action on NCDs but it will also involve a key group who are traditionally locked out of many processes affecting their futures. Providing them with the tools and guidance to think about how to get their peers or members of their communities to make healthier decisions is key to maximizing their involvement in combating NCDs.

In conversations revolving around stakeholder engagement, our focus on especially the youth needs to change from the usual ‘How do we get them to do things? Personally, I don’t see this as engagement. The conversation should be centred around ‘How can we have them on board with our projects?

About the author

Imadi SHEMA is a pharmacy student at the University of Rwanda and an active member of the Rwanda Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (RPSA) with a passion for writing, public health, youth empowerment, and research work aimed at bettering the health of the Rwandan society.

References

    1. World Bank Open Data. (n.d.). World Bank Open Data.
       https://data.worldbank.org/indicator

     2. Umurerwa, I. R. (1970, January 1). Rwanda to cut NCD-related deaths to 25 percent by 2025. The New Times.
       https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news

     3. World Health Organization: WHO. (2022). Noncommunicable diseases.  https://www.who.int

     4. The world’s 10 youngest populations are all in Africa.(2020, February 6). World Economic Forum.
        https://www.weforum.org