Bid to boost diets, hygiene

MORE than 11,000 students were surveyed, 10,000 blood samples were analysed and 5000 stool samples were tested under a World Health Organization (WHO) program in a bid to improve diets and hygiene in schools and communities across Fiji.

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) funded Health Promoting Schools project is designed to ensure that lessons learnt are disseminated through students and teachers to families and the wider community.

WHO Pacific technical support division head Dr Wendy Snowdon said the program was established in schools for a number of reasons.

“Children spend a lot of time in schools and this is where they can pick up communicable diseases, but it is also where we can help to control them,” she said.

“In Fiji, Health Promoting Schools focuses on three key areas — diet and physical activity, wash — which is water sanitation and hygiene, and the third area is mental health and wellbeing.

“We are finding there a lot of young Pacific people facing mental health challenges around bullying, depression, feeling isolated and so on, so this was why it was selected as one of the three priority areas for the Health Promoting Schools in Fiji.”

According to WHO, weight and height measurements were taken and more than 10,000 blood samples tested for anaemia to measure iron intake in students diets.

The anaemia test results were also used to measure intestinal worm infestation and this was further enhanced by more than 5000 stool samples which were tested for hookworms.

WHO said the Health Promoting Schools survey data had given the Education Ministry verifiable and accurate data to determine problems and what areas to focus on.

Health Promoting Schools field co-ordinators organised workshops across the country which resulted in more than 1600 teachers being upskilled and more than 400 community visits being completed to raise awareness of and develop strategies to tackle issues.

We are finding there a lot of young Pacific people facing mental health challenges around bullying, depression, feeling isolated and so on, so this was why it was selected as one of the three priority areas for the Health Promoting Schools in Fiji Dr Wendy Snowdon