Yma in Lifestyle Medicine Week (18-24 May 2024)

The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine describes Lifestyle Medicine as:

an evidence-based discipline which aims to support patients to prevent, manage and reverse certain chronic conditions, using supported behaviour change skills and techniques to create, and sustain lifestyle changes.

It aims to address chronic disease management by embracing self-care, patient empowerment, social prescribing, and group consultations. This holistic approach is facilitated by clinicians, public health professionals, researchers, scientists, and educators collaborating to apply the 6 Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine to clinical practice, public health policy, and prevention.

The 6 Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine are:

·        Mental Wellbeing

·        Minimising Harmful Substances

·        Healthy Relationships

·        Healthy Eating

·        Sleep

·        Physical Activity

The essential principle of Lifestyle Medicine is that individuals are supported to make positive changes, with an emphasis on encouraging positive behavioural change rather than blaming people, and moving away from the traditional doctor-patient relationship.

Yma is breaking new ground in this field in its work with the Football Association of Wales and Cardiff South West Primary Care Cluster to apply the principles of Lifestyle Medicine in the care of type 2 diabetic patients. With support and expertise from the Welsh Government's innovation team, we have established group consultations and personal sessions with clinicians in local football club facilities. This enables the clinicians to support patients in the application of this holistic approach to managing their conditions, whilst overcoming the problems presented by limited free space in clinical venues. Our aim is to facilitate the delivery of a tailored service that provides the optimum outcomes for these patients.

We have also recently completed an evaluation of projects providing health support in the farming community. The Health Awareness in Farming project was funded by the Mid Wales Challenge Led Launchpad funding to conduct a feasibility study of innovative solution to improve rural health and wellbeing. Our particular focus was to address the challenge of ‘ageing well and promoting wellness’ by understanding how farmers access healthcare, the particular barriers they face, and the optimum delivery model for care to a traditionally ‘hard to reach’ community. By engaging with the various organisations across the United Kingdom that are working in this space, we produced a report to lay out our findings and the essential elements of taking this care out of the clinical setting. One major conclusion was that farmers are more likely to engage with the ‘one-stop shop’ model, by which a holistic approach can be taken to their mental and physical health. In a time of acute turmoil in a challenging industry, this demands gaining an understanding of the business and life pressures, support measures to address them, and use this to inform self-care and health management.

For further details on Lifestyle Medicine: Lifestyle Medicine | CPD for General Practitioners(heiw.wales)

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