As part of the Summer Health Awareness Campaign, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has launched the cartoon character “Sayyouf” meant to deliver certain health awareness messages, under the theme: “Take a vacation and travel, to return healthier and refreshed.”
The campaign is intended to raise people's health awareness and change their attitudes towards the unhealthy habits and practices usually associated to the summer vacation. It also aims to make people more inclined to adopt healthy behaviors during this season, and familiarize them with the health problems related to vacations, as well as their complications and effects on the individual and societal health. In doing so, the campaign underscores the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles, based on healthy food and exercise, to keep healthy and lively. Therefore, the campaign encourages people to follow healthy lifestyles during summer. It basically targets travelers and summer-vacationers for three weeks.
“Sayyouf” will be shedding light on several health issues important for individuals and the whole community, especially in summer vacations, including food safety, park safety, swimming pool safety, in addition to prevention of sexual diseases and home accidents. It will also place particular emphasis on food balance, exercise, prevention of addiction, and the excessive use of electronic devices. The Ministry of Health has been keen to organize such a campaign emanating from the fact that the summer is characterized by certain weather conditions, making people disposed to change some of their habits, by traveling and stay outdoors for long time, thereby unleashing the positive energy of both adults and children, away from the work and study burdens usually associated to other seasons.
One of the objectives appointed to the campaign, also, is to raise people's awareness of the shortcomings related to the gathering of numerous families in one place, which facilitates the transmission of diseases, especially the infectious ones. Such gatherings are usually accompanied by unhealthy behaviors and practices, most notably depending on fast foods. This requires a set of health precautions to be taken.
The campaign begins with interviews with physicians at radio and TV programs, and launching a YouTube channel entitled, “Health Dose”. That's to be added to the production of health awareness hints, and raising people's awareness through social networks, and organizing mobile health awareness fairs and exhibitions in parks and malls, making good use of models. Such exhibitions are reckoned an innovative method meant to introduce people with the risk factors of non-communicable diseases and how to protect themselves against them, by following healthy lifestyles. The campaign pays thorough attention to local and international airports, thus targeting travelers by providing them with the necessary health information. Besides, summer centers at hospitals will be useful in delivering the campaign's health awareness messages.
It should be noted the Ministry of Health (MOH), represented by the Media, Relations and Health Awareness General Department organizes a health awareness campaign every year with the aim to deliver its educational and health awareness messages to the targeted groups. By means of this campaign, the Ministry seeks to protect citizens from the diseases and complications that could endanger people's safety and tranquility. That's to be added to delivering the health messages encouraging all people to make better of their lives, and getting in close coordination with all sectors.
During this summer, a number of specialists and consultant physicians have been interviewed at the Media Information and Health Awareness Center, to receive callers' health-associated inquiries, and provide apt answers for them, as well as providing health tips an and medical guidance, through the center's toll free number: 8002494444.
In a related development, the Ministry has also participated with an excellent pavilion in Aramco Summer Cultural Program, currently held in Riyadh. The pavilion has witnessed intensive attendance, for it provides health awareness activities, and comprehensive medical examination for visitors; including the measurement of vital signs, bone mass indicators (BMI), blood sugar, and osteoporosis. That's to be added to providing health tips related to food balance, exercise, and alleviating the risk factors (excessive intake of fats, sugars, etc.)