Apollo Hospitals Group and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, have taken up a joint initiative to spread awareness among the corporates and medical professionals in India on lifestyle related diseases which account for 80 per cent of the world's medicare costs.

As part of this initiative, Harvard Medical School and Apollo Hospitals Group will jointly conduct Lifestyle Medicine seminars at Delhi on March 21 and 22, Kolkatta - March 24 and 25, Chennai - March 27 and 28, and Mumbai - March 30 and 31, 2006.

The faculty at these seminars will comprise Edward M Phillips, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Susan Parks, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Prof Adrian Kennedy and Prof Savita Date Menon of Apollo Hospitals Lifestyle Medicine Division.

Lifestyle related diseases such as heart attacks, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and many cancers are predominantly caused by an individual's lifestyle choices. These lifestyle related illnesses collectively are responsible for the majority of health care costs worldwide.

A recent survey conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) places the Indian Urban Profile at 67 per cent Heart Attack Risk, 29 per cent Cancer Risk, 30 per cent Hypertension, 16 per cent Diabetes, 64 per cent Overweight and 41 per cent Highly Stressed.

The joint initiative is directed towards correcting lifestyles and nipping serious consequences especially in the corporate world and among the urban populace in our country. Here, Harvard Medical School's well-researched modules on Lifestyle corrections will equip our country's medical professionals to remedy this modern day scourge, says Shobana Kamineni, director, Apollo Hospitals Group.

"In association with Apollo we will be conducting these seminars in India to educate doctors and health professionals on incorporating Lifestyle Medicine into their daily practice to initiate lasting lifestyle improvements in their patients", adds Dr Edward Phillips, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School.