By Ojoma Akor
The Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED) has partnered with senior editors from leading media organisations in Abuja to strengthen cardiovascular health and a healthy food environment in Nigeria.
A statement from NHED, signed by Tessy Nongo Maina, Communications Lead of the organization, said NHED convened an editor’s parley to advance collaboration between public health stakeholders and the media.
The engagement brought together editorial leaders from national print, broadcast, and digital media organisations to discuss emerging issues related to cardiovascular health, nutrition policy, food environments, and the growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.
NHED Country Director, Dr Emmanuel Sokpo, said that editors play an important role in shaping public understanding of complex policy and public health issues.
He said, “Editors play a crucial role in shaping how the public understands complex health and policy issues. As conversations around nutrition, food environments, and public health continue to evolve, collaboration between public health organisations and the media becomes increasingly important. Our goal is to ensure that journalists have access to credible information and expert perspectives when covering these issues.”
Also, NHED Technical Director Dr. Jerome Mafeni highlighted the growing public health concerns associated with diet-related risk factors and changing food environments.
He said, “Across the world, diet-related risk factors are contributing significantly to the rise in cardiovascular diseases. Issues such as excessive salt consumption, unhealthy fats including trans fatty acids, and high sugar intake are increasingly recognised as major contributors to hypertension, heart disease and stroke,” he said.
Dr. Mafeni highlighted that changing dietary patterns and the increasing reliance on processed and packaged foods have made it more difficult for many consumers to understand the nutritional quality of the foods they consume clearly.
He said, “Many consumers today rely heavily on processed and packaged foods, yet they often lack clear and easily understandable information about what these products contain. Improving access to clear nutrition information is therefore an important step in helping consumers make healthier choices.”
The statement said the session generated robust interaction from editors, who raised a wide range of questions around food labelling, product descriptions, regulatory frameworks, and how consumers can more easily identify healthier food options in the marketplace.
The editors also explored broader questions around what constitutes healthy food in the Nigerian context, how consumers can balance healthy diets within current economic realities, and how the media can help improve public understanding of nutrition-related health risks.
Participants noted that improving public understanding of nutrition and food environment issues requires clear communication, credible information sources, and balanced media reporting, particularly as policy discussions continue to evolve around areas such as sodium reduction and front-of-pack nutrition labelling.
NHED reiterated its commitment to supporting journalists and media houses as a technical resource, providing expert perspectives, background briefings, fact-checking support, and access to evidence-based information to strengthen accurate reporting on public health and nutrition issues.
The Editors’ Parley forms part of NHED’s broader efforts to promote informed public discourse and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders working to improve cardiovascular health and healthier food environments in Nigeria.
