title: Creating a pro-active health care system to combat chronic diseases in Sri Lanka: the central role of preventive medicine and healthy lifestyle behaviors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current burden and future escalating threat of chronic diseases, constitutes the major global public health challenge. In Sri Lanka, cardiovascular diseases account for the majority of annual deaths. Data from Sri Lanka also indicate a high incidence and prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes; 1 in 5 adults have elevated blood sugar in Sri Lanka. It is well established that chronic diseases share four primary behavioral risk factors: 1) tobacco use; 2) unhealthy diet; 3) physical inactivity; and 4) harmful use of alcohol.
  
  
  METHODS
  Evidence has convincingly shown that replacing these behavioral risk factors with the converse, healthy lifestyle characteristics, decrease the risk of poor outcomes associated with chronic disease by 60 to 80%. In essence, prevention or reversal of these behavioral risk factors with effective healthy lifestyle programing and interventions is the solution to the current chronic disease crisis. Expert commentary: Healthy lifestyle is medicine with global applicability, including Sri Lanka and the rest of the South Asia region. This policy statement will discuss the chronic disease crisis in Sri Lanka, its current policies and action implemented to promote healthy lifestyles, and further recommendations on preventive medicine and healthy lifestyle initiatives that are needed to move forward.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences , University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagner
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences , University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arena
authors.affiliation: b Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, College of Applied Health Sciences , University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McNeil
authors.affiliation: c National Institute of Nutrition, I.C.M.R ., Hyderabad , India.
authors.forename: Ginnela N V
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Brahmam
authors.affiliation: d School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health , University of Tasmania , Launceston , Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Hills
authors.affiliation: e Faculty of Medicine , University of Kelaniya , Ragama , Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: H Janaka
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: De Silva
authors.affiliation: f Ministry of Health , Colombo , Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: R P Palitha
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Karunapema
authors.affiliation: g Faculty of Medicine , University of Colombo , Colombo , Sri Lanka.|h NIROGI Lanka Project , Sri Lanka Medical Association , Colombo , Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Chandrika N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Wijeyaratne
authors.affiliation: g Faculty of Medicine , University of Colombo , Colombo , Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Carukshi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arambepola
authors.affiliation: i National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) , Helsinki , Finland.
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Puska
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D033161:Government Regulation; D015438:Health Behavior; D006291:Health Policy; D000070497:Healthy Lifestyle; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015995:Prevalence; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Prevention; cardiovascular disease; diabetes; exercise; nutrition; obesity