Special features of the organization
The principal achievements of Health Action by People (HAP) are detailed below , , 1. Tobacco control , HAP has been the pioneer in Tobacco control activities in Kerala. Our principal accomplishments in this field are (a) Influencing the government to insist on an oath by children against tobacco and addictive drugs in all schools at the first school assembly. , (b) Mass petition signed by over 100,000 school children of Kerala to the BCCI (1998) asking them to withdraw from ITC sponsorship of Cricket. , (c) Mass petition signed by over 950,000 children to the Prime Minister of India, requesting tougher tobacco legislation (Yr. 2000) (d) Publications of popular booklets Ifs and Butts of Smoking, Answers to 50 questions on smoking. , , 2. Public Health Education , We have prepared and distributed health education pamphlets on the following themes. , (i)Diabetes (ii) Diabetes and BP (iii) Diabetes and Eyes (iv) Diabetes and Foot (v) Heart Attack , , 3. Public Health Surveys , We have screened over 10,000 adult subjects for estimating the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, obesity and hypercholesterolemia to estimate the burden of these disorders in Kerala population. The information is shared with the government. , , 4. Health Research , HAP is the leading NGO in public health research in Kerala. We have the following notable contributions in this regard. (a) PROLIFE (Population Registry of Lifestyle Diseases) this is Indias first rural cohort assembled for studies into the future. The population exceeds 170, 000 and is under continuous surveillance since 2002. , (b) PURE (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology) We are one of the 5 Indian partners of this global study pioneered by Mc Master University, Canada. , (c) Study of Injuries- This study is carried out in PROLIFE population and is a collaboration between the department of Clinical Epidemiology, Mc Master University, Canada and HAP. , (d) INDADE (Indo Danish Collaboration on Diabetes Epidemiology) this is a prospective study on the epidemiology of diabetes on a dynamic population of adults numbering over 8,000. The collaborators are University of Odense, Denmark, Novo Nordisk, Denmark and HAP , , 5. Saantwanam , A unique employment generation activity for women of weaker sections utilizing the potential for health screening. Over 150 women from BPL houses are part of Saantwanam movement, were trained women traveling in scooters and equipped with measuring equipments, screen people at their door step for diabetes, hypertension, obesity and hypercholesterolemia. The charges levied are modest and many girls have net earnings of over 10,000 Rupees per month. About 700, 000 people are already been screened and tens of thousands are already detected with diabetes, hypertension, over weight etc.
