Health councils can reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases: A guide for the health council

Abstract

A previous study published by Family Doctors (FDs) at the polyclinic Dr. Tomás Romay located in the historical centre of Havana, Cuba, verified the impact of professional health advice on health determinants related to the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in apparently healthy individuals. The objective of this article is to present the employed health-counselling guide and its usefulness in the fieldwork. To achieve the result, it was decisive (I) the face-to-face transmission of the essential elements of health promotion; (II) personalized health advice taking into account the individual determinants; (III) motivation for a healthy lifestyle as a cultural heritage; (IV) a health communication guide as an advisory tool for general practitioners. The electronic version of the guide and database was developed at National Center for Scientific Research (CNIC) and was refined during the project with the participation of the family doctors involved in the study. It is available in digital form or printed. This document presents the guide in some detail and suggests its use in the prevention of NCDs. The complexity of the NCDs risk requires a personalized approach in addition to the general prevention measures for the entire population. It is recommended that Family doctors to be interconnected in the network to facilitate the exchange of related experiences, and invite them to participate in the improvement of the guide. It is concluded that the proposed guide can be a useful tool in the prevention of NCDs.