As part of our ongoing commitment to preventive health education, VHAI in collaboration with its state partners, organized a series of sensitization and awareness sessions across schools in multiple states, focusing on the prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and promoting healthy lifestyle choices among adolescents.
Between 2024 and March 2025, activities were carried out in Delhi, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, and Tripura, collectively reaching over 2,760 students and 280 teachers. These sessions aimed to raise awareness about key NCD risk factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity, while encouraging students to adopt balanced, health-conscious habits from an early age.
Highlights from the states include:
- In Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, interactive workshops were held across schools, engaging more than 600 students through presentations, roleplays, and open discussions on lifestyle-related diseases and preventive measures.
- In Odisha and Chhattisgarh, sessions involved over 500 students and included creative learning formats such as quizzes, poster-making, and student-led skits that explored themes of nutrition, exercise, and the impact of substance use.
- In Arunachal Pradesh, activities spanned both school and community settings in Namsai and Mahadevpur, reaching 400+ students and local residents, and emphasizing the importance of family and community awareness in preventing NCDs.
- In Bihar, VHAI and its state chapter BVHA conducted a series of workshops in 10 schools across Gopalganj, Saran, and Patna districts. These reached 864 students and 133 teachers, with engaging formats like group discussions, expert talks, and roleplays that built awareness on the links between lifestyle and chronic diseases.
- In Tripura, VHAT conducted NCD sensitization sessions in four schools, reaching over 220 students. Supported by VHAI through IEC materials and presentations, these sessions created a space for students to learn and reflect on daily habits impacting long-term health.
Across all states, the sessions concluded with student pledge ceremonies, and in several institutions, student-led NCD awareness clubs were launched to continue peer-driven health promotion. Teachers and local educators played an instrumental role in reinforcing key messages and ensuring that awareness extended beyond the classroom.
These initiatives demonstrate VHAI’s ongoing efforts to strengthen NCD prevention through school-based education, community engagement, and sustained support for healthier behaviours among India’s youth.