DOHA: Obesity and smoking are two major health risk behaviours among school students in Qatar, says a senior official at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC).
One in 10 children are obese according to statistics and smoking is common among students although specific data is not available, said Yosra Hammad, Head of Health Promotion.
“Obesity is very common among children and it reflects their life style. Smoking is a big problem among schoolchildren, although we don’t have specific details. It’s an area we need to study,” Hammad told The Peninsula yesterday.
She explained how a newly launched campaign ‘Health promoting schools’ program’ would help students adopt a healthy lifestyle and guide them to quit habits that risk their health.
The three-year campaign aims at promoting healthy living among Independent school students and is focusing on eight criteria: Health education, physical activity, physical education, proper nutrition, proper school infrastructure, mental and social health, school environment and the surrounding community of the school and teachers. “We have discussed about introducing a comprehensive study on smoking to introduce a physical activity programme,” said Hammad.
In its first phase, the programme will create awareness among students and identify those with health risk factors and help them to overcome the problems. Schools will be evaluated upon their activities. It also aims at introducing nutritious food habits at school cafeterias, and healthy eating habits at schools, with the support of Supreme Council of Health (SCH) and Supreme Council of Education.
“We are also planning to focus on mental health problems of children at schools, as it’s an area which has been neglected. Social workers and counsellors will be appointed at secondary and high schools,” she said. The initiative is a joint international programme by World Health Organisation and Unesco. It has been introduced at 112 Independent schools and aims at covering 80 percent of schools by 2018. The Peninsula
