Future Researchers 7th Edition - Good Health & Well-being

FOREWORD PROF VEERASAMY YENGOPAL DEAN, FACULTY OF DENTISTRY, UWC

TheUnitedNationshasputforward17SustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs)aspartoftheirglobal call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. The aim of SDG-3 is to ensure healthy lives and promotewell-beingfor all

Thisgoalfocusesonthefollowingkeyareasofhealthandwell-being:

• Mater nal mortality

• Neonatal and child mor tality

• Infectious diseases

• Non-communicable diseases

• Substance abuse

• Road traffic accidents

• Sexual and reproductive health

• Universal Health Coverage

• Environmental

• Health

The challenge for all health categories including Dentistry is to align their research, training and teaching activities so that at least some of the SDG goals are addressed in a manner that leads to an improvement in the health and well-being of people’s lives. A good starting point to highlight the roleofdentistryandmore specifically oralhealthcareinpromotingwell-beingamong individualsandcommunities is the recent World Health Organization Resolution on Oral Health adopted in 2021. The Resolution urged Member States to address key risk factors of oral diseases shared with other noncommunicable diseases suchashighintakeoffreesugars,tobaccouseandharmful use of alcohol, and to enhance the capacities of health professionals. It also recommended a shift from the traditional curative approach towards a preventive approach that includes the promotion of oral health within the family, schools and workplaces, and included timely, comprehensive and inclusive care within the primary healthcare system. This was a significant milestone for oral health as for the first time, there was an acknowledgement of the important link between oral health and general health.

The early recognition of infectious diseases and referral for treatment in the early phases has significant health outcomes for patients. For example, in patients who are HIV infected, in over 60% of patients, the first sign or symptom of underlying diseases occurs in the mouth. Early diagnosis and referral of these patients into wellness programs significantly improve their quality of

life, well-being and life expectancy. The other important fact to note about Dentistry is that it is one of the most expensive professions to train and is one of the most expensive services to offer at a primary healthcare level. Within this context, even the richest countries of the world have realised that the curative approach of treating common oral diseases such as tooth decay (caries), gum disease (gingivitis & periodontitis), etc is not sustainable.

Most oral health conditions are largely preventable and can be treated in their early stages but treatment is often not affordable as usually not part of universal health coverage packages. Thus, there is a focus on prevention and oral health promotion activities such as education, behavioural change, lifestyle change, healthy eating, dietary advice, placement of fissure sealants, etc. The use of fluoride, which can substantially reduce the risk of dental caries, remains inaccessible in many parts of the world. The Western Cape has some of the highest tooth decay rates in the world. Almost 60% of children under the age of six in this province have tooth decay. The facilities for treating children are limited as they often need treatment under general anaesthesia and this is expensive. Children often wait up to six months before getting access to care. Studies have shown that this delay in treating tooth decay has significant adverse health effects: children who have severe tooth decay (called early childhood caries) have delayed developmental milestones such as lower weight and height, stunting, and lag behind in other milestones such as speech development. This is in addition to the significant hours lost in education as these children miss schooling, and there is also an economic impact as their parents or guardians have to take time off from work to take their children to the dentist for emergency pain and sepsis treatment.

The Faculty of Dentistry has focused its training programs on prevention and oral health promotion activities that aim to keep adult and child patients healthy. Our community-based programs also our students to offer oral health care in communities where access is a problem and students are also able to consider the environmental and social factors that impact oral health when they are making clinical decisions. The competing priorities in the province, the quadruple burden of disease impacting the province, the COVID pandemic, and limited resources have required Dentistry to focus its resources on programs that prevent oral disease and change health behaviour.

“ More than 77% of all of the public oral health services available in the Western Cape, lie in the UWC oral health training platform at the Faculty of Dentistry. Thus, we do play a significant role in promoting health (oral health) and well-being in this province. ”

MEET OUR RESEARCHERS IN THE FIELD OF SUSTAINABLE HEALTHCARE

DR EMEKA FRANCIS OKONJI

Dr Okonji is a senior monitoring and evaluation manager at Right to Care (RTC), an NGO that provides prevention, treatment care and support for people living with HIV (PLHIV). He has just completed his PhD in Public Health at the UWC. He holds a master’s degree in demography and population studies, a master’s in management in public and development management from Wits University and a BSc (Hons) in human nutrition from the University of Ibadan Nigeria.

Dr Okonji provides monitoring and evaluation technical advice to the RTC HIV programme implementation. The focus of his PhD research was evaluating the RTC adolescent psychosocial support intervention designed to improve adherence and retention in antiretroviral treatment. This research has informed the strengthening and scale-up of the adolescent psychosocial support programme.

The Right to Care adolescent psychosocial support inter-vention, in conjunction with the standard of care provided at the Ehlanzeni District clinics, improved antiretroviral treatment adherence and retention in care among adolescents living with HIV by addressing the complex biological, psychological and social issues that affect adolescents living with HIV.

Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) face many challenges related to adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and remaining engaged in care. Some of these challenges result from the physiological and psychosocial characteristics of their stage of development. Providing psychosocial support could mitigate high levels of anxiety, fear of disclosing their HIV-positive status, low self-esteem, low self-efficacy, depressive disorders, and suicide reported among adolescents living with HIV.

“Improved well-being will enable adolescents to attain higher rates of adherence to HIV treatment and engagement in care.”

DR RINKO KINOSHITA

Dr Kinoshita currently works in La Paz, Bolivia, as the Representative for the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Bolivia Country Office. She took up this position in August 2020.

Over the past 14 years, she has worked in various offices of UNICEF. Before joining UNFPA, she was the Acting Senior Partnerships Advisor for UNICEF’s (United Nations Children’s Fund) regional office for West and Central Africa. In this capacity, she has supported UNICEF’s 24 country offices with partnerships (public/private sectors) and contributed to the mobilisation of over 250 million USD for the COVID-19 response. She started her career with the UN as Planning Specialist for UNICEF’s office in Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2006 and subsequently transferred to itsEasternZonalOffice(basedinGoma,DRC) as the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist.

SheholdsaBScinNursingandMidwiferyfrom Chiba University (Japan), a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina (USA), and an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK). She graduated with a PhD in Public Health, focused on Adolescents’Sexual and Reproductive Health from the University of the Western Cape (South Africa) in April 2023. Despite the progress made towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), gender inequality is among the long-standing social issues that must be tackled. Improved Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH), combined with strategies for gender equity, can accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, especially

Goals 3 (Good health and well-being), 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender equality).

Rinko Kinashita’s PhD research targeted early adolescents (EAs) aged between 10 and 14 years, who account for half of the total 1,2 billion adolescents worldwide. Many EAs experience puberty and social and cognitive shifts. Furthermore, this is a period when gender norms are shaped quickly, through gender socialisation. Unequal gender norms may negatively affect Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health(ASRH)outcomes.

Given a paucity of evidence, this study identified key factors influencing the process of constructing gender norms among EAs, using the socio-ecological model. It explored how unequal gender norms might influence EA’s sexual and romantic relationships; knowledge of HIV and pregnancy prevention; exposure to peer violence, intimate partner violence (IPV), adverse childhood events (ACEs);anddepressionsymptoms.

The findings also revealed key risk or protective factors that may affect ASRH issues, which will significantly contribute to designing age-specific, culturally tailored programmes for EAs of high vulnerabilities in urban impoverished communities. Given the dynamic nature of the gender norm constructs, there is a crucial need to collect longitudinal data from EAs, and triangulation with qualitativedata.

“This study underscores an urgent need to incorporate gender transformative interventions that promote EAs’ gender equality in policies, programmes, and research. These findings will greatly contribute to accelerating the progress towards SDG 3, by “leaving no one behind.”

DR MACHOENE DERRICK SEKGALA

Dr Sekgala is a post-doctoral research fellow at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Non-communicable diseases unit (NCDU) in South Africa (SA). He has completed his PhD in Public Health at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He holds a master’s degree in Human Physiology from the University of Limpopo. He spent three years on his PhD working on developing the algorithm for diagnosing metabolic syndrome (MetS) among taxi drivers. In this project, he assessed the risk of MetS in relation to the consumption of street food among taxi drivers in the Western Cape, South Africa. He was a recipient of the Collaboration for evidence-based healthcare and public health in Africa (CEBHA+) scholarship and presented his PhD research both nationally and internationally.

Dr Sekgala is involved in research that provides the first information of its kind in South Africa to determine the extent of MetS and explain the role played by street food consumption, alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, and physical inactivity in the development of MetS among commercial taxi drivers. The research outcomes from this study helped to develop workable recommendations to aid in the prevention of MetS in taxi drivers. The current research provided a new algorithm for screening MetS among male commercial taxi drivers.

Dr Sekgala states that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined by central obesity, high glucose level, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. The current prevalence of MetS in the adult population is more than 23%, and this epidemic is expected to worsen in the coming decades. This syndrome has been linked to an increased risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. NCDs represent a significant complication to both social and economic development. Approximately 100 million people are forced into poverty mainly due to the exorbitant cost of healthcare services and the lack of a national health insurance system from NCDs each year. To save lives and promote the well-being of populations at all ages, the SDG 3.4 urges countries to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by a third by 2030. Therefore, Goal 3 of SDG: Good Health and Well -being is most closely related to Dr Sekgala’s research.

The food sold in the streets of Cape Town and surrounding areas is a public health concern since they are energydense and high in saturated fat, trans fats, salt, and sugar. Commercial taxi drivers operating around the transport interchange areas are at risk of MetS since they are among the 38% of South Africans that consume this street food frequently as these foods are easily accessible and

affordable to them. Commercial taxi drivers work long hours and only achieve a few hours of sleep. They are also physically inactive and tend to overconsume alcohol and engage in smoking tobacco to overcome stress. This study reported a high prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, which are all risk factors of NCDs. Non-communicable diseases are dubbed “silent killers” as they are asymptomatic. If they found health concerns with the taxi drivers during fieldwork, they referred them to the nearest clinics to be seen by relevant health professionals for further investigation and attention.

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This work provided the first information of its kind in South Africa that determined the extent of MetS and explained the role played by street food consumption, Obesity, alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, and physical inactivity in the development of MetS among commercial taxi drivers.”

DR NOMVUYO LUKELELO

Dr Lukelelo is a lecturer in the Department of Social Work at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa. She recently obtained her PhD in Social Work at the University of the Western Cape. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Social Work from Stellenbosch University and a Bachelor of Social Science in Social Work from UWC. Prior to being an academic, she worked for the Western Cape Department of Health for 10 years as a social worker and training coordinator in the HIV/AIDS/STI/ TB (HAST) Directorate.

Many HIV and AIDS interventions provide support for people living with HIV (PLWH) through targeted programmes focusing on the provision of

medication for infected individuals but often neglect the needs of their children. In 2019, the colliding pandemics, AIDS and COVID-19, placed the global HIV response under increasing threat where access to social support services was limited. Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is one of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages. Social workers play a crucial role in promoting well-being for all by providing social support for families and children affected by AIDS. Children affected by HIV and AIDS (CABHA) are identified as children in need of care which is required by law to be attended to by social workers. Social workers are, therefore, required to design interventions that will protect the rights of children in need of care.

Developing guidelines for social work intervention with children affected by HIV and AIDS. The main objective was to provide guidance to social workers and organizations rendering interventions to CABHA through a standardized framework for intervention. Using a two-phase intervention mapping research approach. The first phase focused on a needs analysis, and the second phase focused on developing guidelines for social work intervention with children affected by HIV and AIDS. The needs analysis phase aimed at identifying and describing the best intervention models for CABHA through a systematic review, and interviews with social workers and other stakeholders working with CABHA within the Cape Town metropole. Phase two used a twostage Delphi method where stage one consisted of experts in health, child and youth care, family interventions, community work, and research. Stage two consisted of stakeholders working with children and families affected by

HIV and AIDS at the individual, group, and community levels. Each stage of the Delphi method was used to debate, make changes and reach a consensus on acceptable guidelines from the relevant experts and stakeholders. The study resulted in the development of guidelines for interventions by social workers for children

affected by HIV and AIDS. These guidelines include multi-stakeholder collaborations that embrace diversity, encourage social inclusion, and equip caregivers and communities of CABHA with skills to enhance their physical, social and economic well-being.

“The guidelines are meant to strengthen social work intervention methods and provide guidance to organizations working with families and children affected by HIV to ensure that their interventions support HIV-affected children, caregivers and communities.

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DR SOLOMON DRIBSA DANGA

Dr Danga is an alumna and post-doctoral research fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, family and Society at the University of the Western Cape.

Solomon obtained a Bachelor of Arts in educational psychology and a Master of Arts in developmental psychology from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. In April 2023 he graduated PhD in child and family studies from the University of the Western Cape. Solomon has been awarded grants from the Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme [MNAUSS], Next-generation Social Science Research Council in Africa doctoral dissertation fellowship in 2019-2020, and ERASMUS Plus a scholarship for the student mobility exchange programme with partner universities in Germany in 2022, during his doctoral study.

Dr Danga's doctoral research was focused on the mental health of adolescent refugees in refugee camps in Ethiopia. His study tested a mental health model to examine how coping and resilience mediate the relationship between potential traumatic experiences and mental health outcomes and the moderation effects of age, gender and refugee camp duration. The model shows that coping and resilience buffered the effects of potentially traumatic experiences on

adolescent refugees’ negative mental health outcomes. In addition, refugee camp duration also moderates the relationship between potential traumatic experiences and mental health outcomes. His research employed a mixed-method research approach, having two phases. In Phase One, scoping reviews were conducted to explore the nature of the associations between traumatic experience, coping and resilience and mental health of adolescent refugees. In phase two, a cross-sectional study was utilised employing a standardised self-reported questionnaire. As informed by the scoping reviews, the data from phase two, stage one were subjected to Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to assess the mediating, moder-ating and total effects of the relationship between potential traumatic experience, coping, resilience and mental health to establish the stability of the final model.

Refugees routinely experience a number of traumatic events that may result in poor mental health due to persecution, conflict and displacement. Children and adolescent refugees particularly migrate with histories of exposure to traumatic events. Previous studies have also shown increased rates of mental health concerns among refugees forcibly displaced during adolescence,

indicating that these young refugees may be a particularly vulnerable sub-group within the broader global refugee population. Dr Danga’s research is of critical importance given the historical and present-day context of conflict andrefugeesintheHornofAfrica.

“His research with South Sudan adolescent refugees will inform models of coping and resilience for youth who have experienced similar atrocities throughout the region. Moreover, the outcomes could improve situations and opportunities for children and adolescents, especially for children and adolescents in African refugee camps. ”

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Higher education institutions (HEI) play a crucial role in society by shaping the minds of future leaders, professionals, and citizens. In addition to academic excellence, there is an increasing recognition of the importance of community engagement and social responsibility within these institutions. Community engagement involves actively collaborating with external communities to address societal challenges, while social responsibility encompasses the ethical and sustainable practices adopted by institutions to positively impact their communities and the broader world.

Over the years, there has been a growing demand for higher education institutions to go beyond traditional academic pursuits and contribute meaningfully to their communities. This shift reflects a broader societal expectation for institutions to foster civic-mindedness, social justice, and inclusive practices among their students, faculty, and staff. By integrating community engagement and social responsibility into their core mission, higher education institutions have the potential to serve as catalysts for positive change and societal transformation.

Community engagement and social responsibility initiatives within HEI encompass a wide range of activities. These may include community service projects, volunteer programs, research collaborations with community organizations, sustainability initiatives, and partnerships with local businesses and non-profit organizations. Such initiatives not only benefit the external communities but also provide valuable experiential learning opportunities for students, promote interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty, and enhance the institution’s public image and reputation.

Moreover, the efforts foster a sense of civic responsibility among students, encouraging them to become active citizens who are sensitive to social issues and committed to creating positive impacts in their communities. These initiatives also align with theevolvingneedsandexpectationsofstudents, who increasingly seek educational experiences thatarenotsolelyfocusedonacademicknowledge butalsoemphasizeholisticdevelopment,ethical values,andsocietalimpact.

While many higher education institutions have embraced community engagement and social responsibility as core principles, challenges and opportunities persist. These challenges may include resource constraints, aligning institutional priorities with community needs, establishingsustainablepartnerships,measuring the impact of initiatives, and overcoming institutional resistance to change. However, the rewards of investing in community engagement and social responsibility are numerous, including enhanced student learning outcomes, increased community trust and support, improved institutional reputation, and a stronger connection between academia and society.

Written by: Tamara Goilath

THE FACULTY OF COMMUNITY & HEALTH SCIENCES COMMITMENT TO ACHIEVING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 3 REMAINS UNWAVERING.

as well as to provide the means whereby both parties can actively discover knowledge, teach, and learn from one another in a reciprocal, mutually beneficial manner.

The Faculty of Community & Health Sciences (FCHS) has emerged as a driving force behind the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 3, which focuses on ensuring good health and well-being for all. The faculty is making remarkable strides in providing accessible primary healthcare services to vulnerable communities and individuals in the Western Cape, through its community engagement programme. Community engagement is a core mission of the UWC. It aims to enhance scholarship through equitable partnerships, and citizenry to promote sustainable communities

The UWC Institutional Plan (IOP) 2021–2025 clearly states that service-learning and community engagement are integral to the core work of the UWC and encourages the integration of a wide range of community engagement and service-learning activities into the formal curriculum at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The IOP also refers to the importance of increasingly seeking to establish equitable partnerships with communities, especially those in reasonable proximity to the university. The FCHS initiated a process to anchor itself in specific vulnerable communities with the goal of addressing health disparities and ensuring that healthcare reaches the most vulnerable. Individuals living in these vulnerable communities often struggle to take care of their well-being. Government and non-government structures take responsibility for addressing the challenges experienced by these groups but also rely on the support of other social structures such as universities in their efforts to enhance the quality of people’s lives. It is argued that anchoring a university in a particular context, it is a more integrated way to community engagement as it provides universities with a policy and practical platform that moves beyond the ‘soup kitchen’ approach of engagement.

The Faculty of Community and Health Sciences (FCHS) continues to expand its footprint in the

communities of Fisantekraal, Mitchells Plain, Bellville and in the Dwars River Valley. The formation of strategic sustainable partnerships and authentic relationship building with community leadership is key to the success of the FCHS’s community engagement programme. Community-university partnerships provide opportunities for universities and communities to achieve different goals. For universities, it allows engaged scholarship, while in communities it advances socio-economic agendas. The goal of the FCHS community engagement programme is to work with vulnerable communities and local authorities and stakeholders to collectively design, implement, and evaluate sustainable models that would build the capacity of all stakeholders for sustainable health, well-being and community development. There are a number of initiatives in the FCHS including, work-integrated learning, research, servicelearning, interprofessional collaborative practice and outreach programmes that aim to achieve this goal.

Emphasis is placed on ensuring a safe and enabling environment for community engagement. The establishment of satellite university site offices and service-learning centres and the recruitment of site coordinators in each of these communities contribute significantly to creating a conducive space for engagement and learning that extends beyond the physical spaces of the university. Communities are actively engaged and students are placed at various community organizations and institutions for significant periods. This

hands-on approach enables the students to deliver health and social care programmes that directly benefit both the community members and the university students themselves.

Community outreach is one of the FCHS’s flagships. It plays a crucial role in promoting good health and well-being and requires collaborative efforts and engagement with local communities and the professional programmes at the UWC. The uniqueness of the FCHS community outreach lies in its application of the interprofessional collaborative practice approach. This approach promotes students to work together in interprofessional teams and to engage each other to address the complex health challenges that face these vulnerable communities. Students from Social Work, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics, Nursing, Psychology, Biokinetics, the School of Natural Medicine and Law, Dentistry and Oral Health participate annually in the ten outreaches planned during the academic year. The outreaches contribute to the required clinical/practical hours and are, therefore, fully integrated into the curriculum.

The aim of the FCHS’s community outreach is to bridge the gap in access to healthcare services, fostering healthier and more resilient societies, particularly in the above-mentioned communities. The outreach provides an opportunity for students and staff to identify and understand the social determinants of health and is able to actively involve community members to develop strategies to address their challenges

effectively. The outreach caters to people of all ages, addressing the diverse healthcare needs of the community. Outreach services are offered in the local community hall/centre and in the FCHS mobile clinic. Services include maternal and child healthcare, screenings for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB, or cancer and therapeutic services. There is also a focus on the promotion of positive behaviour change that targets healthrelated habits and practices that include smoking and substance abuse, promoting physical activity, encouraging healthy eating, advocating for safe sexual practices and combatting stigmatization and discrimination related to mental health or other illnesses. Essential health education to individuals and groups, raising awareness about preventive measures, healthy lifestyles, and disease management, including disseminating information about nutrition, hygiene practices, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, legal education and other relevant health topics are offered during these ‘outreaches’. One-day

training programmes on specific topics that target home-based carers or community health workers to build capacity are also offered at these outreaches. Overall, the FCHS community outreach programmes play a vital role in promoting good health and well-being as part of the SDGs.

The FCHS’s anchoring strategy and community engagement programme are groundbreaking. It embraces the building of authentic, meaningful relationships and sustainable partnerships, actively engaging communities and their leadership, providing health promotion and education, improving access to healthcare, addressing local challenges, and providing authentic student learning experiences. All these efforts exemplify the FCHS’s dedication to expanding its reach and creating lasting impacts on the lives of individuals and communities by bridging the gap between academic knowledge and practical healthcare services.

UWC HEALTH INNOVATIONS: TOWARDS ACHIEVING UN SDG 3

The South African government provides billions of rands annually towards scientific research, including health research. It is essential that this research, and its resulting outputs, are implemented for societal prosperity, locally, nationally, and globally. To ensure more effective use of research outputs and as part of the trajectory to attain the SDGs, the UWC has established a Technology Transfer Office (TTO), under the leadership of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation. The TTO’s role is to identify, protect and commercialise research outputs for socio-economic benefit as well as to serve as a link between academia, industry, and various innovation stakeholders.

The UWC has a distinctive academic role to help build a healthy society and respond critically and creatively to ensure health and well-being globally. Through its different Faculties, the UWC is committed to supporting multidisciplinary research outcomes, which are implemented in collaboration with the TTO to achieve SDG 3.

Dr Ana Casanueva, Director: Technology Transfer Office (TTO)

Monique Heystek, Technology Transfer Specialist: IP & Contracts.

Some of these innovations include:

These innovations are some of the many ways in which the UWC and its researchers are making an impact locally, nationally, and globally and contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable DevelopmentGoal3ofensuringhealthylivesandpromotingwell-beingforall.

Because together, WE can go from hope to action through knowledge.

These innovations are some of the many ways in which the UWC and its researchers aremaking animpactlocally,nationally,andgloballyandcontributingtothe achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. 26

For more information, please contact the UWC TTO at tto@uwc.ac.za

Good health and well-being are core components of a prosperous society. This is at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3): “ to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all, at all ages” .

Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) encompasses several key areas, including reducing maternal and child mortality, combating communicable diseases, addressing non-communicable diseases, promoting mental health, and ensuring access to essential healthcare services. It recognises the interconnectedness of health and well-being with other dimensions of sustainable development, emphasising the need for integrated and holistic approaches to achieve positive outcomes.

To monitor progress towards SDG 3, a set of indicators has been established. These indicators provide measurable targets and milestones to assess the achievements and challenges related to each specific aspect of the goal. The indicators for SDG 3 include metrics such as maternal mortality ratio, under-five mortality rate, vaccination coverage, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the incidence of noncommunicable diseases, access to essential healthcare services, and health workforce density, among others.

By focusing on SDG 3 and its indicators, governments, organisations, and communities can work collaboratively to improve health systems, enhance access to quality healthcare services, promote health education and awareness, and address the root causes of health disparities. Achieving the targets set by SDG 3 will not only contribute to healthier populations but will also have far-reaching impacts on social and economic development, poverty eradication, and overall sustainable development.

In conclusion, SDG 3 serves as a global framework to promote and ensure health and well-being for all. By monitoring progress through the indicators, stakeholders can identify gaps, implement evidence-based interventions, and work towards achieving universal health coverage, ultimately leading to healthier lives and resilient communities around the world.