EU launches youth health quiz road show

MANILA, Philippines - There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned quiz show to raise awareness and increase knowledge about healthy habits.

The European Union (EU) has partnered with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd), together with participating provincial governments, to roll out the first ever “Health Quiz Road Show” in Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Davao Oriental in a unique effort to improve the health condition of the population via increased health consciousness and awareness.

The ongoing project, which will run until March 18, supports the National Health Sector Reform (HSR) Program of the DOH which seeks to improve the health condition of the population to meet the country’s health-related Millennium Development Goals.

Besides increasing health awareness, the Health Quiz Road Show aims to encourage health-seeking practices, such as disease prevention habits, maternal and child care, availment of public health services, sanitation, nutrition, fitness and the avoidance of vices in the poor communities of each province. 

The activity is focused on the youth who have the energy and enthusiasm to get their parents and the rest of the community involved in the cause.

Preliminary quiz contests involving third year students in public high schools are ongoing in the municipalities of the eight participating provinces. Contest topics include healthy lifestyles; maternal, neonatal and child health and nutrition; prevention of the most common diseases, and the HSR program of the DOH.

Qualifying tests in each school will determine the representatives who will compete at the municipal level. The municipal winners will advance to the provincial finals where the winners will be named the “Youth Health Champion of the Province”.

The eight champions – one from each province – will each receive a laptop complete with mobile broadband kit. The runners-up will get netbooks and MP3 players.

The eight participating provinces are among the target localities of the Mindanao Health Sector Policy Support Programme (MHSPSP) of the EU, in support of DOH efforts to improve health services. The MHSPSP focuses on 14 provinces in Mindanao and ARMM where the incidence of poverty is highest. It extends the Health Sector Policy Support Program (HSPSP) that was launched earlier in 16 provinces all over the country.

The EU has made it a policy to support the National Health Sector Reform.