In a major effort to control the growing stress levels which are having a detrimental impact on the health of the urban population residing in cities like Bangalore, the Manipal Cure and Care (MCC) has launched a 'How Stressed is Bangalore' campaign. The innovative campaign will be unveiled on the occasion of the 'World Health Day' being observed on April 7, 2010.

The campaign is an attempt to understand the effects of urbanization on Bangaloreans with focus on stress levels, obesity and overall health, according to MCC. Over half of the world's population currently lives in cities and the rapidly increasing urban population entails seven out of every 10 individual would be a city dweller by 2050. The WHO theme for World Health Day this year - 1000 Cities, 1000 Lives - focuses on effects of urbanization on health.

Extrapolating from the WHO campaign, MCC plans to touch 1000 corporate and residential societies starting April 7, gather data on stress levels in Bangalore and create awareness about healthy living. The data will be later analyzed and shared with corporate houses, government, educational institutions and help create actionable agenda to improve the overall health of the city.

According to Somnath Das, chief operating officer, nearly 28 per cent of India's population lives in cities and this is expected to increase to 41 per cent by the year 2020. The rapid urbanization worldwide is among the important global health issues of the 21st century. Our endeavour is to collaborate with like-minded organizations, reach the masses on ground and help develop a platform for a healthy future.

Trained medical practitioners will be visiting business houses and residential societies to conduct simple non invasive procedures like height, weight and BP - that does not take more than couple of minutes. While individuals will get a report on the spot, the overall data gathered from 1000 business houses and residential areas will be analyzed to arrive at overall health of the city.

Dr Satish Amarnath, medical director, MCC said health outcomes are determined by environmental, social, and physical infrastructure conditions and factors that can be positively influenced. Underlying drivers - also referred to as social determinants - converge in urban settings which strongly influence health status and other outcomes. The "How Stressed is Bangalore" campaign will help create awareness about the state of wellness of our city and develop preventive campaigns.

The urbanization factors determining health include water and sanitation, quality of air, living and working conditions, access to services and resources, among others. Communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, mental disorders, and deaths due to violence and road traffic injuries are all driven by these underlying social determinants.

"Bangalore is bursting at seams and everyone complains about unplanned urbanization. Road rage, suicides, divorces, adolescent related issues are some of the many psychological issues aggravated by stress and we need to find solutions for these urgently. Though we are only touching the tip of the iceberg, going forward we plan to share the data collected and our analyses with individuals and corporate and create awareness about taking necessary steps," Dr Satish added.

The goals of the WHO International campaign are twofold. First it plans to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles in 1000 cities. Secondly, it aims to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities. MCC aims to contribute to the global campaign by championing the cause of health of Bangalore, he said.