UMS launches healthy lifestyle campaign to boost student wellness
KOTA KINABALU (April 30): A healthy lifestyle campaign took off on Wednesday at Universiti Malaysia Sabah's Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSK) to encourage positive health related behaviours among undergraduates.
Over the next six months, students will take part in activities aimed at encouraging them to do moderate exercise for at least 150 minutes per week, take five servings of vegetables and fruits a day, and eat a balanced meal based on the Malaysian Healthy Plate recommendation.
A preliminary study in March revealed that students lack sufficient exercise, and they know the importance of a balanced meal and the need to include vegetables and fruit in their diet, but a majority do not follow these recommendations.
UMS Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor who launched the campaign said a healthy lifestyle is important in reducing absenteeism among staff and students, and in keeping productivity levels up.
He commended the Sabah Health Department through the Health Promotion Branch for the collaboration, which he described as strategic in improving health outcomes and which could later be extended to the whole campus, and to UMS branches in Labuan and Sandakan.
'The Higher Education Ministry also promotes walking 10,000 steps a day. At UMS, we have the walk and talk programme on Wednesday evenings which provides an opportunity for lecturers, staff and students to discuss matters while walking and I hope we can continue with this.
'UMS offers trails for walks, and we just opened one more recently. UMS is a safe space for physical activities,' he said, adding that he walks up six floors to his office at the Chancellory Building to stay fit.
Kasim said to bring down the escalating medical costs at UMS, staff and students need to practice a healthy lifestyle and should do recreational activities for at least an hour a day.
The campaign which is championing the Ministry of Health's Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat (ANMS), is a collaboration between the UMS-UNICEF Communication for Development (C4D) Research Unit which is based at the faculty, and the Health Promotion Branch of the Sabah Health Department.
The campaign was mooted by the Health Promotion Branch which approached the UMS-UNICEF C4D Research Unit. The Research Unit focuses on the use of evidence-based research and communication interventions to change behaviours.
The campaign officially known as FSSK x ANMS, with FSSK referring to acronym for the faculty, has adopted #MoveMunchBalance as its tagline for all communication messages and materials.
UMS-UNICEF C4D Research Unit head Dr Latif Lai explained 'Move' refers to the need to have at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, 'Munch' to eating five servings of vegetables and fruits a day and to make this a lifelong habit, and 'Balance' refers to following the Malaysian Healthy Plate recommendation that promotes half a portion of vegetables and fruits and a quarter portion each of carbohydrates and protein.
Some 200 students took part in the launch at the faculty on Wednesday, which also saw the Vice Chancellor joining them in an exercise routine, before flagging them off for a 10,000 steps walk.
Present were Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities Dean, Professor Dr Asmady Idris, Health Promotion Branch head Nor Saadah Omar, Sabah Health Department Nutrition Branch head Shahrulnaz Norhazli Nazri and student leader Mohamad Hafiezan Fiezal Haron.
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