“World Obesity Day” is celebrated on 11 October every year with an aim to increase global efforts to reduce, prevent and treat obesity. Aligning with this aim, a group of MBBS 1st Year students organized an event at the Gulf Medical University campus on 7th October 2019 for the GMU community which include not only the students and staff of various health professions but also the ancillary staff employed in the campus. The event emphasized on creating an environment and society that can facilitate the adoption of healthy lifestyle by its individual’s thus reducing the burden of obesity in the society.
Students organized various activities, games, talks and video presentations. They arranged the stall with the BMI machine encouraging their fellow colleagues to classify their weight / height into BMI category. Based on the BMI value they were advised and encouraged for lifestyle modification. They even calculated the Calories required by each participant based on their interest of maintaining / reducing / gaining weight and recommended dietary modification accordingly. They demonstrated that increase intake of healthy foods can reduce overall calorie intake and can help in achieving the healthy weight.
They played short inspiring videos of people from UAE who were very obese initially, but with their determination and hard work they lost tremendous amount of weight and now they are role models for others.
The session was concluded with inclusion of small quiz through Kahoot, a game-based learning platform, engaging all the students with fun and excitement.
“It is important to create an environment where individuals actively engage to keep a check on their weight. There should also be simultaneous effort to reduce the stigma and low self-esteem associated with obesity” Dr Nelofar Khan, Project Supervisor
Prof. Manda Venkatramana, Dean, College of Medicine appreciated the student’s effort for creating awareness about lifestyle modification among the GMU community.
What students say:
“I got to learn a lot of new things related to obesity and its complications which would help me later as a practicing physician. Afifah Anaum Mohamed Abbas
“The event allowed me to improve my ability to work in a team and understand different perspectives. It was a fantastic example of what 21st Century learning should entail” Ibrahim Talia
“The project was a very effective learning experience which helped strengthen my communication skills, writing skills, and my understanding of obesity overall”. Lilian Yousef Y Hassan