PHCC Recognises Outstanding Schools For Wellness Program

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: As part of the school wellness program's action plan and strategy, the Preventive health Department – Wellness Section – of the Primary health care Corporation (PHCC) held the closing and award ceremony to recognize schools that participated in the wellness program for the academic year 2023-2024. The ceremony served as a platform to honour outstanding schools and winning studentsofvarious competitions organized throughout the year.

The school wellness program, implemented for the second year in collaboration with the School Health Section under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, aimed to enhance students' quality of life physically, mentally and socially. Therefore, raising awareness about healthy eating habits, general exercise recommendations, improved sleeping patterns and effective stress management are crucial factors for achieving wellness or well-being as well as creating a healthy academic environment for students.

The objectives of the program included enhancing awareness and education, advocating for healthy eating, exercise, sleep patterns and stress management techniques to improve the lifestyle and academic performance of primary, secondary and high school students, in addition to fostering positive behaviours, self-confidence and self-direction among students by instilling the values, experiences, relationships and traits that have been identified for the youth interest and improving their overall well-being and healthy weight by promoting healthy lifestyles.

The closing ceremony of the school wellness program was held at the conference hall of Al Sadd Health Center. The event brought together members of the health community, school representatives and program participants to acknowledge the realized achievementsand honour outstanding individuals. The ceremony was hosted by the master of ceremony, Hamza Ahmed, a student at Mohammed Bin Jassim Al Thani Secondary School for Boys and commenced with a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by student Hamad Khorshid.

This was followed by keynote addresses delivered by Dr. Abdulhameed Al Khenji, Program Manager and Head of Wellness for Community Interventions, Dr. Hissa Al Muraikhi, Head of Wellness for Clinical Interventions, and Dr. Eiman Abu Elshwarib, Wellness Community Intervention Coordinator. During their speeches, they emphasized the significance of the school wellness program in raising health awareness among students and its positive impact on the community. They also highlighted the diligent efforts to improve student health and build healthy school environment, while acknowledging the collaborative efforts between clinical teams and schools to ensure comprehensive healthcare for students. Moreover,they extended gratitude to all participants and commended the fruitful cooperation between schools and health centers, resulting in the successful achievement of the program's objectives.

During the ceremony, several entities and individuals were honored for their significant contributionsto the success of the program, including:

The seven wellness centers: Al Khor health center, Al Ruwais health center, Umm Slal health center, Leabaib health center, Rawdat Al Khail health center, Muaither health center and Al Wajba health center for their efforts in promoting wellness programs in schools.

Physicians and fitness coaches: for their active involvement in delivering healthcare programs and physical activities for students.

School nurses and coordinators: for their efforts in organizing and implementing health activities within schools.

Additionally, the winning studentsof the drawing and essay competitions highlighting the impact of sports on the body systems were honoured for showcasing worksreflecting their interest in the program. The creativity and excellence in their submissions were highly commended by everyone present at the ceremony.

The program began by selecting, in coordination with the School Health Section and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, 15 schools encompassing primary, secondary and high stages for both genders according to specific criteria and the respective health centers. These honoured schools are Al Khor Secondary School for Girls, Abdulla Bin Ali Al Misnad Secondary School for Boys, Al Wakra Secondary School for Girls, Al Wakra Primary School for Girls, Mohammed Bin Jassim Al Thani Secondary School for Boys, Mohammed Abdulwahab High School for Boys, Umm Al Qura Primary School for Boys, Ahmed Mansour Primary School for Boys, Al Nahda Primary School for Girls, Asmaa Bint Yazeed Al Ansariya High School for Girls, Umm Hakeem High School for Girls, Al Shaqab Primary School for Girls, Qatar Secondary School for Girls and Rawda Bint Mohammed High School or Girls.

Moreover, PHCC wellness team, consisting of a health coach and fitness trainer, conducted monthly visits to schools in coordination with the schools depending on employee availability. These visits aimed to deliver the planned monthly activities for students in various grades through closecommunication withthe school employees. Prior to each activity, school employees were briefed on their respective roles to ensure they were well-prepared for their supportive duties.

The selection of the activity topics was carefully coordinated to align with the program's objective of improving the habits and behaviours for a comprehensive healthy lifestyle. This included encouraging exercise, maintaining a balanced diet, ensuring healthy sleep, cultivating positive mental attitudes, and discouraging detrimental habits such as smoking.

All activities underwent assessment process through periodic surveys, monthly evaluations and review of achievement progress within the school. These assessments were conducted twice: one prior to the commencement of the program and again upon the completion of all health-related activities at the end of the academic year.

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