The objective is to reduce risk factors for chronic diseases due to unhealthy diet.

Cameroon joined the rest of the world to celebrate African Life Style Day on Friday February 22, 2013. The day was instituted in July 2008 by the Executive Committee of the African Union. The theme for this year in Cameroon iwas "Healthy lifestyle changes for all”.

The objective is to reduce risk factors for chronic diseases that stem from unhealthy diet and inactivity. Some of the diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyle are cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer, hypertension and diabetes. In Cameroon, the African Life Style Day was first commemorated in 2011. The day is organized in Cameroon by Health Promotion Watch. This year the day was marked by sensistisation in the media and educative talks.

Grace Ningo of Health Promotion Watch said the day was an opportunity to sensitise the public on healthy life style. In Cameroon the incidence of high blood pressure is 26.3 percent. World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics 2002 show that cardio vascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and obesity account for 60 per cent of total mortality world wide and 46 per cent of the global burden of diseases.

The Health Lifestyles Day will tackle the dangers of obesity, an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity as risk factors, by promoting health and well being among individuals, communities and populations. The Healthy Lifestyle Day, was, therefore, instituted as an annual call to re-energise governments, communities and individuals to continue focus on the health lifestyle of its people and observed on the last Friday of February each year.