School kids spreading the health message...

The Hindu, Tuesday, January, 16, 2001

Braving fogy weather, children from 60 schools of the Capital sought to spread the sunshine of health-related knowledge through the “Humne Seekha Hai” campaign that was inaugurated here today.

Through this campaign, school students will communicate with the wider community through a variety of channels to transmit health related knowledge acquired by them at school. The campaign is being organised by SHAN ( School Health Action Network), a division of HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth), an NGO which promotes health education and health activism in schools.

The first phase of the campaign was inaugurated this morning at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Masjit Moth, in South Delhi where attractive posters were put up by students at a bus stop on Khel Gaon Marg. These posters included prize winning ones selected from an inter-school contest held on health-based themes in December 2000.

Through such “Health Art”, students hope to capture the attention of commuters waiting for the bus and convey a variety of messages on health hazards of tobacco including passive smoking and the benefits of giving up the tobacco habits. Other health themes such as the benefits of a nutritious diet and physical activity will follow later through theme- based posters.

Inaugurating the programme at the bus stop today, Mr. Rakesh Mehta, Chairman, Delhi Transport Corporation, said 62 per cent of Delhi’s citizens commute by bus. Community health education through buses and bus and bus shelters would, therefore, be a very effective channel with a wide outreach. He said the tobacco habit was a major threat to society and could only be countered effectively if the community was appropriately informed and adequately mobilised.

Dr. T.S Walia of the World Health Organisation (WHO) high-lighted the highly addictive nature of tobacco and the methods by which tobacco industry was attempting to ensure young persons into becoming addicts. He urged the students to continue their commitment to build a tobacco free society through such campaigns.

Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, Co-ordinator of HRIDAY and SHAN said such school-centred programmers of community health education would cement the commitment of students to healthy lifestyle practises and also optimally utilise the energy and idealism of youth to catalyse health promotion in the community.