In February 2024, the Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance Leadership Forum convened at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), bringing together over 360 distinguished experts and health professionals. This major event aimed to tackle the global surge in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The forum culminated in the creation of the Doha Declaration, a unified strategy aimed at integrating evidence-based lifestyle interventions into healthcare systems worldwide.

The Doha Declaration emphasizes the importance of training healthcare professionals in Lifestyle Medicine to ensure that these approaches are effectively prescribed and integrated into conventional healthcare practices. The guiding principles of the declaration aim to reduce the burden of chronic diseases and promote overall health and well-being through lifestyle changes. This includes adopting healthy habits such as regular physical activity, balanced diets, stress management, restorative sleep, and maintaining strong social connections.

During the forum, Dr. Shagufta Feroz, the founder of the Pakistan Association of Lifestyle Medicine (PALM) actively participated in discussions and presented PALM's initiatives and achievements in promoting Lifestyle Medicine in Pakistan. She highlighted PALM's efforts in organizing educational programs, workshops, and conferences to raise awareness about Lifestyle Medicine.

The declaration's Article states a commitment to achieving health and well-being for all, extending beyond individual well-being to community and global wellness. The declaration calls for foundational training in Lifestyle Medicine for all healthcare professionals, advocating for its integration into healthcare systems to address lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases. This commitment is based on research indicating that medical care contributes only about 20 percent to population health outcomes, with the remaining 80 percent being attributable to non-medical factors such as lifestyle and social determinants.

Overall, the Doha Declaration sets out a bold and ambitious plan to make evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine far more accessible, aiming to help prevent, manage, and in some cases, reverse chronic diseases on a global scale. The commitment of organizations like PALM and the participation of leaders like Dr. Shagufta Feroz are crucial in this global effort to promote healthier lifestyles and reduce the burden of chronic diseases.

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