Say hello to fitness

Health and Wellness Week teaches Zayed University students the need to be aware of healthcare issues

Students and staff at Zayed University's Abu Dhabi campus spent a week undergoing health checks as part of an event organised by the student council and other clubs recently.

The Health and Wellness Week included lectures by doctors, nurses and physicians, providing awareness for students, faculty and staff of the university about healthcare issues.

Abu Dhabi campus activities co-ordinator Manal Farah said that it took four weeks to get the event up and running.

"The student council and all the other clubs came up with their own ideas for activities," Farah said.

"None of these activities would have been possible without the support of the many centres that participated," she said.

She said some aspects of the event were more successful than others. "Medical check-ups and health food booths were very popular among the students." She said that audiences for health lectures were small but interested.

The student council's public relations co-ordinator Mariam Omar was enthusiastic about what the event had accomplished.

Mariam was pleased with the interest ZU students expressed in the event and their noticeable contribution to the activities.

Al Mazroui Medical Centre was one of the main contributors to ZU's Health and Wellness Week. They provided students with medical check-ups and advice from the centre's physicians.

Dr Emad Nakad, a physician at the centre, gave a lecture on first aid appliances and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.

"We want to help raise the awareness of the importance of preventive medicine that should be applied in the UAE," Dr Nakad said.

He emphasised the importance of awareness about diseases and health issues. He said he was very impressed by the effort that ZU had made.

"Eat healthy, watch your weight, and exercise," Dr Nakad advised the students.

A facial consultant was available for the students who wanted to learn more about their skin or had dermatological problems.

Student council member and business major Eiman Al Hammadi said the medical check-ups provided throughout the week were very helpful to her and many other students.

"Some students did medical check-ups just for fun and found out that they had some problems," Al Hammadi said.

The UAE University participated as well, and gave presentations on anaemia, cancer prevention and weight management.

Shaikh Khalifa Medical Centre's clinical dieticians gave a lecture on food portions and other useful information on keeping healthy.

The writer is a student of communications and media sciences at Zayed University