The Brawijaya University International Relations Team (HI UB) held a workshop and outreach related to healthy living culture to prevent the increase in hypertension and diabetes among migrant workers and their families. This workshop aims to increase public awareness of the dangers of hypertension and diabetes mellitus through introducing the latest facts, evidence and data as well as ways to prevent and treat people with these diseases through establishing a healthy lifestyle.
“This activity targets migrants and the families of migrant women who have been left behind by providing education regarding the importance of a healthy lifestyle to prevent PTM,” she said.
The head of the HI UB service team, Henny Rosalinda Ph.D, explained that in this workshop participants were given the opportunity to check their blood pressure and blood sugar for free, then continued with counseling regarding hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
“There are 45 people from village government elements, migrants and migrant families who took part in this series of activities,” she said.
Based on the evaluation carried out after this activity in Malang Regency, participants were assessed as being able to understand PTM, the symptoms of hypertension and diabetes in general, the impact and risks of hypertension and diabetes, as well as how to prevent the emergence of PTM through a healthy lifestyle in order to improve the welfare and resilience of families, especially families of female migrant workers.
Malang District Health Service states that hypertension and diabetes mellitus are the two non-communicable diseases (NCDs) most commonly suffered by people in Malang Regency.
Data from the Malang District Health Service, out of a total of 165,933 cases, hypertension had a percentage of 48.6%, followed by diabetes mellitus at 21.5%. In fact, the number of cases of morbidity and death from NCDs has exceeded that of infectious diseases.
The common cause of PTM is not caused by viruses, bacteria or germs. This disease is caused more by people’s unhealthy lifestyles, such as lack of exercise, wrong diet, not enough sleep, and other habits that have a negative impact on the body, such as smoking and getting stressed easily.
Migrant worker families face greater challenges when one parent or both parents go abroad to become migrant workers. Malang Regency is one of the districts that sends the highest number of migrant workers in East Java, especially female migrant workers.
This is the reason of UB International Relations team to carry out community service in Sukowilangun Village, Kalipare District, Malang Regency. She added that the families of migrant women are one group that should receive more attention, especially regarding the welfare of the families left behind.
“Families of migrant women have indirectly experienced functional inequality within the family due to the absence of a mother figure in the family,” Tuesday (5/9/2023).
According to her, when women choose to work as migrant workers abroad, everything related to family matters left behind is very dependent on family members in Indonesia, especially female family members such as mothers and sisters.
Based on data from the Indonesian Minister of Health, it is stated that a mother has more of a role in improving the health of her family members. This is because there is still strong traditional culture in Indonesia which places mothers responsible for meeting needs in the household, namely the family economy, consumption, education and health.
“So, the absence of a mother figure will more or less affect the lifestyle and health of a family,” she said.
This University of Portsmouth alumnus stated that it is important for migrant women’s families to understand healthy lifestyles, so that families can understand efforts to prevent diseases, especially non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus. (FISIP PR/OKY /UB PR/Trans. Iir)
