Depok, October 31, 2025 – The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) continues to demonstrate its commitment to increasing campus community awareness on the importance of early detection and prevention of non-communicable diseases. Through the Pos Pembinaan Terpadu (Posbindu) Griseta program, FPH UI collaborated with Mitra Keluarga Depok Hospital to hold an event themed “#PreventDiabetes! Lifestyle Transformation Toward Optimal Health” on Friday (31/10) at the Doctoral Promotion Room, G Building, 1st Floor, FPH UI.
The event featured two main agendas: a Health Talk session and a Mini Medical Check-Up (MCU). Through these activities, FPH UI aimed not only to provide health education but also to facilitate health screenings for members of the FPH UI community as a concrete step in monitoring the implementation of a healthy lifestyle.
The Health Talk session, moderated by Nurul Dina Rahmawati, S.Gz., M.Sc., CertDA, featured two sets of speakers. The first presentation, delivered by the FPH UI student team—Putri Ayu, Vito Christian, and Hendi Imam Ramadhan—was titled “Encouraging a Healthy Lifestyle to Reduce the Risk of Diabetes Mellitus.” They explained that the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Indonesia continues to rise, currently reaching about 11.7 percent, or approximately 1 in 9 people. The students emphasized the importance of a balanced diet, regular physical activity, sufficient rest, avoiding smoking, and managing stress as key measures to prevent diabetes. They also presented findings from FPH UI’s own Posbindu data, showing that physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption among staff remain low, despite growing health awareness within the faculty.
The second speaker, dr. Indah Gianawati, Sp.PD., an Internal Medicine Specialist from Mitra Keluarga Depok Hospital, discussed the close link between hypertension and diabetes mellitus as interrelated “silent killers” that exacerbate each other’s effects. She explained that both chronic conditions often develop without clear symptoms but can lead to serious complications such as stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and diabetic retinopathy.
Dr. Indah emphasized that most risk factors for hypertension and diabetes can actually be prevented through simple lifestyle changes. “Maintaining an ideal body weight, reducing sugar, salt, and fat intake, exercising for at least thirty minutes a day, and avoiding smoking and alcohol are small steps with a big impact,” she said. She added, “Awareness is the key to prevention. Many patients only realize they have these diseases after complications arise, whereas regular check-ups and a healthy lifestyle can delay or even prevent them.”
In addition to the educational sessions, participants took part in the Mini MCU, which included blood glucose, uric acid, and cholesterol testing. These screenings allowed participants to directly assess their health status and served as a foundation for adopting healthier lifestyle behaviors.
Through the implementation of Posbindu Griseta, FPH UI reaffirms its role as an educational institution that not only focuses on academic development but also takes an active part in health promotion and disease prevention efforts. The collaboration with Mitra Keluarga Depok Hospital serves as a concrete example of synergy between academia and healthcare services in fostering a healthier, more aware, and empowered community. (wrk)