Dubai:The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has launched the school health policy for the emirate of Dubai with an aim to create a safe, healthy and motivating school environment for pupils, according to Dr Manal Al Taryam, CEO of the Primary Healthcare Sector at the DHA. This is in line with the Dubai Health Strategy 2016-2021 and the UAE National Health Agenda Vision 2021 which aims at reducing childhood obesity from the current 14.4 per cent to 12 per cent by 2021.
The comprehensive policy has three key components — disease prevention and early detection, health information and research systems, and encouraging students to lead a healthy lifestyle — all of these will be part of a wider five-year health policy aimed at cutting back obesity.
As part of the strategy, the authority will launch 12 programmes based on these three components that are applicable for private schools in the emirate.
The 12 programmes include a project to encourage students to eat five portions of vegetables and fruits a day, another to increase physical activity to 150 minutes a week, compliance with the essential immunisation programme, an awareness and screening for non-communicable diseases, dental visits, visual and obesity early-detection check-up and overall health supervision according to DHA standards.
The DHA plans to build a detailed database system and an integrated health information systems through HASANA and the student’s electronic file, school health services accreditation, school health research and studies, unified school infrastructure, unification of emergency and disaster safety procedures and a programme to unify and circulate a psychological counselling support plan.
The DHA also aims to increase fruit and vegetable intake among students aged 7-15 years-old, encourage healthier food consumption, increase physical activity among them and decrease obesity — in line with Dubai Plan 2021 and UAE National Health Agenda 2021.
Dr Al Taryam said: “A holistic school health environment is needed to protect children and bring out the best in them. We designed this policy after carefully considering all these factors. We have worked with various governmental authorities in the UAE to jointly design a truly comprehensive school health policy,”
Dr Nahed Monsef, Director of Health Affairs Department at the DHA, said, “Immunisation is an important way of protecting children from some illnesses — including those that suddenly become a bigger threat.”
“While the Authority already has several initiatives in place, a wider five-year policy will be extremely comprehensive. concentrating on 3 major themes which are: healthy lifestyle promotion, disease prevention and early detection and strengthening the health informatics system. The policy was developed in collaboration with our strategic stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health & Prevention, Ministry of Education, KHDA, Dubai Municipality, and Dubai Sport Council, including parents and the community.
Dr Ayesha Al Theeb from the school health department at the DHA said: “For a successful school health policy, we need to ensure all stakeholders including parents and staff truly understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.”
The new health policy goals
* Students to be encouraged to eat five portions of fruits and vegetables each day
* Schools to encourage students to increase physical activity to 150 minutes a week
* Including a psychological counselling support programme for students to take care of mental health issues
* School immunisation programme to be up-to-date
* Disease awareness about non-communicable diseases, dental hygiene, visual and obesity check ups to be carried out regularly at schools
* DHA to have detailed health data base on students through school health programme accreditation, linking the electronic system HASANA with student’s electronic file.
