In collaboration with School Health Department and under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE), Primary Health Care Corporation’s (PHCC) Wellness Department at the Preventive Health Directorate, ran a Wellness Community School Program for the academic year 2023-2024.

The wellness program designed for students is defined as overall health development and quality of life on the physical, mental, and social aspects. Hence, creating awareness on healthy eating habits, meeting the general recommendations of exercise for their age, as well as improving healthy sleeping habits and properly coping with stress are crucial factors to achieve wellness or well-being and create a healthy and academic environment for primary, preparatory, and secondary school students.

The program is also intended to educate students on the positive behaviors, self-confidence, and self-direction by increasing the values, experiences, relationships, and qualities that have been identified to benefit students, improve their health, and help them maintain a healthy weight through healthy lifestyle promotion.

Fifteen schools were selected, in coordination with the School Health Department and MOEHE, for the program’s second year from primary, preparatory, and secondary schools targeting both girls and boys, based on specific criteria to be enrolled according to their health center.

The chosen schools are Al Khor Preparatory School for Girls, Abdullah bin Ali Al Misnad Preparatory School for Boys, Al Wakra Preparatory School for Girls, Al Wakra Primary School for Girls, Muhammed bin Jassim Al Thani Preparatory School for Boys, Muhammed bin Abdul Wahhab Secondary School for Boys, Umm Al Qura Primary School for Boys, Ahmed Mansour Primary School for Boys, Al Nahda Primary School for Girls, Asmaa bint Yazid Al Ansari Secondary School for Girls, Umm Hakeem Secondary School for Girls, Al Shaqab Primary School for Girls, Qatar Preparatory School for Girls, and Rawda bint Muhammad Secondary School for Girls.

PHCC wellness staff consisting of a health coach and a fitness instructor will visit the chosen schools on monthly basis, coordinating with school directives and considering staff’s availability, to deliver the planned content of the monthly activities to students and share it with other school staff to avoid overloading staff. School staff were informed in advance of their role during the activities, so that they are aware of their supporting tasks.

The activities’ subjects were chosen to achieve the program’s objective: to improve habits and behaviors for an integrated healthy lifestyle, such as encouraging physical activity, maintaining an integrated healthy diet, healthy sleep, mental behaviors, and avoiding bad behaviors, such as smoking.

Through several monthly activities in the schools chosen, awareness lectures, workshops and various events will be held with the participation of school staff. Articles, assignments, video clips, and other educational materials will be downloaded by the wellness staff. All activities will be evaluated through periodic surveys, monthly evaluation, and a review of achievements in the school on periodic basis, following each activity and in two periods: before starting the program and after completing all the activities and health topics at the end of the academic year. Further, schools will be honored with commemorative shields and certificates.