December  15, 2010, Dubai-- Dubai Women's College (DWC) Human Resource Students recently created a campaign to raise awareness among staff, students and community members about the importance of exercise and a healthy diet including calcium and vitamin D. 

HR students explained to 35 female cleaners about bone development along with behaviour related to bone health.   The multilingual students presented the topic in English, Arabic, and Hindi languages. At the end of the presentation, the ladies were invited to a buffet of health foods provided by the students.

The aim of this campaign was to raise awareness among females about the need to take care of their health from an early age. Regular exercise and a healthy diet, which includes calcium and vitamin D, are important to reduce the chance of bone fractures.

Nancy Maloney, Business faculty, pointed out that HR students have been actively promoting health awareness as part of a community initiative in line with the UAE Vision 2021.  "Health issues such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis are becoming all too common in the UAE," she added. The community project is part of a Leadership and Teambuilding course taught in the Business department at DWC.

Nancy mentioned that students have researched the issue of osteoporosis and found that it is more likely to occur in women. Medical studies have revealed the importance of calcium and vitamin D to bone health. "Students are enthusiastic champions of CSR projects and are eager to share their knowledge and understanding to promote a positive change in their community," she said.

Aliya Ahmed, a Year 3 HR student, commented, "I talked to my family about the initiative and they have decided to have their bone density tested. We are also trying to eat healthier and spend more time outside in order to get more vitamin D and exercise. "

Fatima Al Asiri, another HR student stated, "Working with the cleaning staff has been very rewarding. The ladies were very happy to come to the presentations. We prepared a buffet of food with a healthy selection and invited the ladies to partake."

DWC is a pioneer in health-conscious education as it offers healthy food in the campus cafeteria, thus doing its part to combat diabetes and obesity in UAE. Moreover, DWC is the first in the HCT system to design a world-class Fitness Center with 1,200 students participating weekly in physical education classes.

-Ends-

About Dubai Women's College
Dubai Women's College (DWC), with more than 2,200 students, is part of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT). The HCT is one of the leading higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates with 16 campuses located throughout the country delivering a wide range of quality programs to over 16,500 students.  DWC was established in 1989 and offers Bachelor and Diploma degrees in Business, Information Technology, Education, Health Sciences, and Applied Communications.  Today, DWC is the quality provider of top-quality National women graduates in Dubai.  DWC's mission is to provide a learning environment for young women to "Practice the Future" by developing confidence, professional excellence and an ethical commitment to leadership roles in a rapidly developing local economy.

For more information, please contact
Abrar Mikkawi
Media and Marketing Coordinator
Dubai Women's College/Higher Colleges of Technology
Tel: 04-208-9269
Fax: 04-267-3939               
Email: abrar.mikkawi@hct.ac.ae

© Press Release 2010