CHANDIGARH, AUG 8 :School Health Programme Officer, Union Territory, Chandigarh and School of Public Health today jointly organised a stakeholder workshop for Health Promoting schools in Chandigarh in School of Public Health, PGIMER here today.
Childhood obesity is becoming an important public health problem due to change in dietary habits, fast foods culture and sedentary lifestyle among children. It leads to higher occurrence of lifestyle diseases like heart diseases, diabetes, chronic lung disease, cancer etc. in later part of adult life. These lifestyle diseases can be prevented if healthy lifestyle habits like healthy diet, physical activity, avoidance of smoking and stress are inculcated in childhood. Schools are an excellent setting for health promotion.
School of Public Health, PGIMER is developing a Health Promoting School Model in Chandigarh based on experiences available in other countries and recommendations of the WHO. A pilot testing of the proposed model has been planned in four schools in Chandigarh, which found successful shall be replicated on a large scale.
As a part of this initiative, a stakeholder workshop was organised. Dr.J.S.Thakur, Associate Professor, School of Public Health welcomed the gathering and briefed about the concept of Health Promoting School. It was followed by address by Dr.Paramjyoti, Nodal officer, School Health Programme, UT Chandigarh and Dr.Bhavneet Bharti, Assistant Professor, Advanced Paediatric Centre, PGIMER.
It was attended by the principals and teachers of the participating schools – Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Sri Guru Harkishan Model School, GMSS, Manimajra Housing Board Complex and GMHS, 41.
Dr.T.PrabhuShankar presented the proposed Health Promoting school model. This was followed by group work on issues related to Health Promoting Schools. Many inputs were given to the proposed model to be implemented in the participating schools. After pilot testing of this model in these schools, accreditation of ‘Health Promoting School’ may be developed in Chandigarh.
In the second phase, other schools may be system encouraged to get themselves accredited as Health Promoting Schools.