The Scientific Senate of the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania supports efforts to promote lifestyle medicine, in the context of the concern for longevity and the publication of the Doha Declaration. The Declaration was published in the context of the celebration of Lifestyle Medicine Week, aiming to develop this emerging discipline and serve as an essential tool in its promotion and development worldwide.
At the Global Leadership Forum on Lifestyle Medicine, held in Qatar on 16 February 2024, experts from 21 countries came together to sign this declaration. A Romanian doctor was among the contributors and signatories of the Doha Declaration. Dr. Emanuela Mercore Huțanu, with the support of Dr. Hans DIEHL, founder of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Loma Linda University, California, founded in 2018 the Romanian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (RSLM), the first professional lifestyle medicine association in Romania and one of the first organisations at the international level.
The Doha Declaration highlights the importance of adopting lifestyle medicine (LMM) to promote health and well-being, prevent disease and reverse chronic lifestyle diseases. LMM is based on six core interventions: healthy diet, regular physical activity, stress management, restorative sleep, social connectedness and avoidance of risky substances. This important document represents a collective commitment to inclusiveness and a healthy population through the promotion, development and implementation of VDM.
The benefits of MSV include improved patient satisfaction, reduced healthcare costs and improved patient health. The statement also highlights the need to integrate MSV skills into training programmes for health professionals.
"Our mission is fueled by the urgent need for quality education and training in the clinical application of Lifestyle Medicine. Through dynamic educational events, tools, resources and advocacy campaigns, we actively support and promote this transformational approach to health," says Atena Stoica, clinical psychologist, RSLM Vice President.
Given the fact that by 2023 the 85+ segment represented 1.94% of the total population in our country, and that the median age in Romania is 41.3 years, the Scientific Senate assumes a pioneering role in the field of longevity in Romania and supports any approach aimed at increasing life expectancy. The "Longevity" programme, managed by the Scientific Senate of the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania, promotes and supports the longevity of Romanians through the funding of research, the early development of medical solutions that can contribute to increasing the healthy life span of people, and access to gerontological facilities and services.
