Institut Teknologi Bandung

Prof. Tri Hanggono Achmad is a figure that has long engaged in medical field. Currently he serves as the Rector of Universitas Padjadjaran. Raising the theme “Health of Today’s Generation”, Tri explained about the factors that affect the health of today’s young generation and today’s people in general.

Improving People’s Life Expectancy

Development of technology should be able to accelerate discovery of medicines for various diseases, but later led to new diseases that affect the physic. “Today, talking about health does not only talk about free from diseases, but also mentally and physically healthy, as well as lifestyle in social life. Actually, one factor that deeply affect human health is behavior,” he said.

Moreover, the proof of how behavior affect health is the epidemiology transition. In 2000s, the most common diseases suffered by people are URTI (Upper Respiratory Infection), diarrhea, and depression. But, in a research, it is predicted that in 2030 the most illnesses suffered by people are depression, coronary heart disease, and cancer.

Diseases that appeared decades ago, with the help of technology and advances in medical education, is now curable. It is proven that technology innovation improves human’s life expectancy. From 1900 until 2000, average human life expectancy is improved from 50 years to 90 years.

The Effect of Technology Development to Health

The most vulnerable disease suffered by young generation in this digital era is Internet Gaming Disorder that affects teenager aged 12-20 years old, and computer vision syndrome, a disease that causes headache and eyestrain as the effect of looking too much at computer screen.

“This kind of disease is often underestimated, but it could be prevented by maintaining behavior. Habits such as hanging out in café, exercise rarely, and staring too much at computer screen are all bad habits that should be changed. Balance it with exercise.” Tri said.

Besides maintaining oneself by applying healthy lifestyle, Tri also said that healthy life style will encourage people around to follow the same lifestyle. Subconsciously, people that maintain healthy lifestyle, will also improve the country with their productive activities. It is ideal for a country if it has more people in productive age than in non-productive age. Therefore, that will be demographic bonus if prepared well, or will be a burden on the other hand.

When asked about the way to prevent depression, Tri advised to practice speaking. When someone shows some signs of behavioral changes and withdrawal, do not only communicate with them, but talk. “Practice speaking. Not communicate.., but talk, from the way they talk it can be seen if they are depressed or not,” He concluded.