In an effort to ensure that the community health and well-being are not neglected, The Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, conducted a ‘Virtual Health Fest 2021’ from 28th July to 6th August 2021.
The program is a health promotion program aimed to advocate overall good health and deliver educational messages to assist Malaysians to cope with the effects of COVID-19 and other health-related issues. Before developing and implementing the health program, a community health needs assessment was conducted with the population of Shah Alam to identify major health issues in the community.
This assessment allowed the organizers to strategically plan and establish objectives for the entire program, catering specifically to the community’s needs in Shah Alam and other communities in general.
The health fest was organised by the Department of Public Health Medicine headed by Associate Professor Dr Zaliha Ismail. This community activity is part of the Service-Learning Malaysia-University for Society (SULAM) initiative that aims to provide students with the opportunity to contribute their knowledge, skills, and competencies in their specialised area toward solving problems within the community.
Four different themes were selected to address the issues raised by the local community during the pandemic – physical activity and healthy eating, mental health awareness, COVID-19 immunisation, and domestic violence.
The first theme, “FIT4LIFE”, conducted by Madam Aimi Nadira Mat Ruzlin, was designed to increase awareness of the importance of being physically active and maintaining a healthy diet during lockdown/movement restrictions. The session provided information on the different types of physical activities (low, moderate, and vigorous physical activity) for all ages and tips on healthy eating.
The second theme, “Imunisasi Vaksin COVID-19: Imun Bersama”, led by Dr Chen Xin Wee, aimed to instil awareness of the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage the uptake of registering for the national immunisation program through various activities (e.g., “Vaksin COVID-19: Tak Kenal, Maka Tak Kebal” Dialogue with the expert panels, educational videos and poster exhibitions on COVID-19 vaccine myths and facts).
The third theme, “Depression and anxiety: It’s okay not to be okay”, was handled by Dr Ely Zarina Samsudin. It was intended to increase students’ awareness of depression, anxiety, and coping mechanisms while living in a pandemic and undertaking Online Distance Learning (ODL). These aims were achieved via an online forum with expert panels, educational posters, and videos on relaxation techniques and self-care strategies for managing depression and anxiety.
The fourth and final theme is “Monsters behind walls”, conducted by Dr Raudah Mohd Yunus. This theme aimed to increase awareness of domestic violence during the lockdown period and promote practices that foster healthy family dynamics.
The event was conducted through various social networking sites (SNS) such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Curious Cat, and others. The main objective of this health promotion programme is to empower the community about health-related issues by sharing information through innovative educational materials consisting of infographic posters, videos, games, and online quizzes.
This program is also a platform for medical students to improve their teamwork, professionalism, and leadership skills.
The 10-day program received good engagement and positive feedback from the community, indicating the relevance of the program. This outcome has motivated educators and healthcare providers to continually advocate innovative ways in promoting health and empowering the community.