Pune: With a strong appeal to the media to deepen its engagement in promoting awareness on Cervical Cancer, Nutrition and Road Safety, a day-long state-level Capacity Building Workshop on ‘Emerging Adolescent Health Priorities: Health, Cervical Cancer, Nutrition and Road Safety’ organised by UNICEF concluded today.
The workshop featured in-depth deliberations with senior journalists on applying Critical Appraisal Skills (CAS) for evidence-based reporting and strategic storytelling to advance adolescent health.
The workshop brought together senior editors, health and transport journalists, media educators, and public health experts from across Maharashtra to strengthen evidence-based, sustained, and human-centred reporting on the health and road safety issues. These are two of India’s most pressing yet under-reported public health challenges. Participants examined structural barriers within newsrooms, discussed the media’s role in countering misinformation, and developed strategies to connect public health data with real-life stories.
Sanjay Singh, Chief of UNICEF Maharashtra, said, “People deserve clear, trustworthy information about the health challenges that shape their lives. Combating misinformation begins with accurate and well-researched communication, and the media is vital in making complex issues understandable for every family. For UNICEF, journalists are essential partners in empowering communities with knowledge that protects lives. Your reporting on cervical cancer, road safety, and adolescent nutrition directly strengthens awareness, promotes prevention, and drives healthier choices. When the media champions evidence over myths, communities gain the confidence to act. Together, through honest storytelling and sustained public engagement, we can ensure every adolescent in Maharashtra grows up safe, healthy, and informed.”
In 2022, the country reported an estimated 79,103 new cases and 34,805 deaths due to cervical cancer, which is largely preventable.
Dr Mangesh Gadhari, Health Specialist, UNICEF, said, “Cervical cancer remains the only form of cancer that can be prevented through vaccination. The first and most effective step toward prevention is awareness. The media has a critical role in challenging the silence and misconceptions that stop women from accessing care. By portraying cervical health as a matter of collective well-being rather than discomfort or stigma, journalists can help normalise conversations that save lives. Every factual and compassionate story brings us closer to a world where no woman dies from a disease we already know how to prevent.”
A special session on road safety highlighted that India records over 150,000 road deaths every year, with children and young people among the most affected. Maharashtra has recorded 36,084 road crashes and 15,335 fatalities in 2024, averaging 99 crashes and 43 deaths per day. The state ranks 3rd nationally in total fatalities, with NH corridors accounting for 37% and overspeeding contributing to over 65% of fatal crashes. Child and adolescent fatalities constitute 11% of all deaths, with low helmet compliance (29%) among young riders.
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Dr Syed Hubbe Ali, Health Specialist, UNICEF Delhi, said, “No road crash is inevitable. The media holds the power to shift the conversation on road safety, from isolated incidents and sympathy after loss, to a continuous dialogue on prevention, accountability, and responsible governance. By building stronger connections with policymakers and using civic data effectively, journalists can help ensure that stories on road safety highlight evidence, enforcement, and fairness.”
Dr Mrudula Phadke, Former VC, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and Senior Advisor to the Govt of Maharashtra and UNICEF, Ms Rajalakshmi Nair, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF, Ms Sandhya Nagarkar, Assistant Commissioner, ICDS, spoke on Adolescent Nutrition and Healthy Diet: Opportunities and Implementation.
“Adolescence is a window of opportunity to build a foundation for lifelong health. Good nutrition during these years not only shapes physical growth but also strengthens learning, emotional resilience, and future productivity. Investing in adolescent nutrition means investing in the nation’s human capital. Our goal must be to make healthy diets accessible, affordable, and aspirational, turning awareness into daily practice and opportunity into long-term well-being,” Dr Phadke said.
Rajalakshmi Nair, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF said “Investing in adolescents (10–24 years) yields returns in the short term (improved adolescent health), medium term (healthier adult years), and long term (benefits for the next generation) and benefits for the next generation. We can say that translating to triple dividend. It's a need of an hour to prioritise adolescents, central to the development agenda. For adolescents, nutrition is not just about food, it is about creating a nurturing environment for healthy growth and development, resulting in optimal learning, skilling, and ability to take informed choices. It is only achieved through a multisectoral approach through adolescents participating in a larger agenda of development.”
The workshop was conducted under the Critical Appraisal Skills (CAS) framework, a UNICEF-supported initiative launched in 2014 in partnership with the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Oxford University, and the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. More than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.
