UAE Initiative to Tackle Student Obesity

SIGN UP FOR YOUR FREE DAY PASS TODAY!
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) in Dubai has launched a series of workshops aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge of school health personnel.
These workshops are designed to ensure the accuracy of students' health data, which is crucial for the National Program to Combat Obesity among Children and Adolescents.
Taking place at the Ministry's Dubai headquarters, the Teacher Training Institute in Ajman, and in Sharjah, these sessions focused on training school nurses and physical education staff in recording anthropometric measurements for students aged 5 to 17.
These measurements are essential for evaluating the size, proportions, and makeup of the human body.
The goal is to establish standardized processes for collecting and analyzing obesity-related data, thereby advancing health policies and facilitating informed decisions based on scientific evidence.
During the four-day workshops, various sub-sessions were held as part of MoHAP’s strategy to manage preventive health programs, enhance nationwide quality of life, and ensure precise data collection for the obesity program.
These initiatives also sought to boost public health, particularly among school students.
Ensuring Data Precision and Reliability
The workshops provided targeted instruction to improve school nurses' technical skills in accurately measuring students' weight and height according to approved standards.
This ensures the collection of reliable data necessary for assessing obesity rates among students and identifying cases of overweight, while also standardizing health data recording.
Featuring a blend of interactive activities and theoretical instruction, these workshops were designed to instill clear procedures for accurate data entry.
Participants were trained to properly complete student data record forms, a critical aspect of maintaining high-quality data for the obesity program.
Additionally, these sessions prepared attendees to become trainers themselves, enabling them to teach essential skills to school nursing staff and broaden the workshops' impact.
MoHAP's Commitment to Public Health
Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector, highlighted that the workshops are part of MoHAP's continuous efforts to enhance community health and achieve the obesity program's objectives.
This initiative is one of several aimed at equipping school health staff with the latest knowledge and skills for providing top-notch health care for children.
“MoHAP is dedicated to developing proactive approaches to health challenges and reinforcing the nation’s status as a leader in preventive health care globally,” remarked Al Rand.
Early Obesity Detection Efforts
Nouf Khamis Al Ali, Director of the Health Promotion Department, noted that these workshops are part of broader efforts to bolster the Ministry’s work in monitoring and detecting childhood obesity. “Early intervention is crucial for keeping children healthy.
The Ministry is committed to organizing workshops and training programs to improve the quality of school health data.
Better data leads to improved health care for students, which positively affects their health and academic performance.”
Source: gulfnews
The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.