News Article

College of the North Atlantic-Qatar Celebrates Healthy Heart Day


10/14/2008 9:57:34 AM


Students and staff at CNA-Q took part in a Healthy Heart Day display at the campus last week. The event was part of a week long initiative promoting healthy living and best practices for nutrition and stress reduction.

Over 200 staff and students of College of the North Atlantic-Qatar took advantage of the Healthy Heart Day displays on campus on Thursday, October 9. CNA-Q in partnership with Hamad Medical Corporation and the National Health Authority brought medical assessments to students and staff of the campus.

“It was a phenomenal turnout,” said CNA-Q Campus Nurse Donna Elliott. “I was happy to see so many students participating. It’s important to promote a healthy lifestyle, through diet and exercise, and also to highlight any potential risk factors.”

Participants visited six stations which included testing height and weight measurement, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar. With results in hand, the next station saw counsellors discuss potential risk factors with individuals. There was even a referral system for doctors or specialists.

“It’s important to reach people when they’re young. There is a large population of youth in this region who are smokers or have unbalanced diets,” said Maureen Micks, a member of Hamad General Hospital’s Cardiovascular Team. “The students really seem to like the one on one interaction; it gives them a chance to ask specific questions on how to improve their diet and their exercise regime.”

Healthy Heart Day was the culmination of Healthy Living Week at CNA-Q. An annual initiative of the Student Affairs Department, the event saw presentations on topics including nutrition and stress reduction as well as healthy snack breaks.

CNA-Q offers a wide variety of Health Sciences programs from Dental Assistant to Respiratory Therapy and the recently introduced Occupational Health and Safety program.

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