Two undergraduate students from Government Medical College, Kozhikode, have pedalled from Kasaragod to the State capital to create awareness about the need for physical exercise to combat cardiovascular diseases.
Mohammed Anwar A. and Mohammed Asim V.K., final-year MBBS students, told The Hindu on Wednesday that the idea struck after they stumbled upon a report that said over 50% of deaths among the 15-39 age group in Kerala was due to cardiovascular diseases.
Sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise were contributing to the increasing number of heart patients among the youth, he said, adding that Malayalis were yet to take up cycling as a form of physical exercise to counter this.
“People here think that cycling is only meant for kids. We wanted to break that stigma and create awareness about its health benefits,” Mr. Anwar said.
The two set off at Kasaragod last Saturday. They had stopovers in Kozhikode and Alappuzha. “En route, we distributed pamphlets describing the aim of our ride,” he said.
On Tuesday, they met Health Minister K.K. Shylaja at her office in the State capital after pedalling around 570 km. In a memorandum to the government, the students, who are also part of the Cycle Club at the medical college, urged the authorities to create awareness about the health benefits of cycling. Jogging spaces and cycling tracks could be set up in cities and primary health centres should be directed to focus on preventive measures to counter heart ailments, said Mr. Asim, a native of Manjeri.
