Lifestyle Medicine and Universal Health Care Intersection: History and Impact of the Philippines Initiative

Abstract

Background: The Philippines is facing a dual burden of managing both infectious and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The Universal Health Care (UHC) Act mandates a transformative shift from curative focus to health promotion and disease prevention, where lifestyle medicine plays a crucial role. Objectivess: This paper outlines the initiatives taken by the Philippines to address the exponential burden of NCDs by integrating lifestyle medicine into the healthcare system. Specifically, we focus on: 1. Discussing the history and current state of evidence-based lifestyle interventions within the UHC framework. 2. How we have developed interprofessional competency-based lifestyle medicine education (CBME) programs for healthcare providers. 3. Our experience in establishing cross-sectoral collaboration and policy support for sustainable implementation of lifestyle interventions. Methods: The Philippine College of Lifestyle Medicine initiated the CBME framework integrated into hospitals, medical schools, and universities with pilot programs. Culturally relevant, community-engaged lifestyle medicine programs were initiated, resulting in the declaration of local ordinances. Conclusion: The realization of UHC priority goals can be enhanced by embedding lifestyle interventions within the healthcare system. Pilot programs demonstrate the scalability of lifestyle medicine interventions that require policy support, extensive cross-sectoral collaboration, community engagement, and recognition of lifestyle medicine as a reimbursable healthcare service.