By Nurdiyanah R. –
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, SEPT 10 – A group of Year 3 Pharmacy students from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), known as the SeeSalt Team, have successfully organized a health awareness event titled Reducing Salt Intake for Better Health at the Seri Mulia Sarjana International School (SMSIS) recently.
The main objective of the event is to educate Year 9 SMSIS students about the health risks associated with excessive salt intake as well as introduce healthier, low-sodium alternatives to encourage better eating habits.
Also present with the team are UBD supervisors or lecturers and also three health educators from the Health Promotion Center, Ministry of Health.
The event began with an opening speech by the SeeSalt Team, followed by an informative presentation on the risks of excessive salt intake. The presentation emphasized the daily salt intake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and encouraged students to interact through a question and answer session.
Earlier, a survey was distributed to students with the aim of assessing their level of knowledge about salt intake, before the event began.
In the meantime, to increase the discussion and empower the students, a group sharing session was also held at the event.
During the event, students also had the opportunity to participate in four interactive game stations, each of which focused on a different aspect of salt intake.
In Station 1, aim to educate students about the adverse health effects of excessive salt intake, such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Students also pass the time by participating in a game where they classify diseases based on the risk associated with salt. As for Station 2, it tested the students’ knowledge about the myth of salt through a game Riyal or Fakewhere they stack marbles based on true or false myths.
While at Station 3, focusing on hidden salt in daily food, challenging students to classify foods into categories of hidden salt or no hidden salt and Station 4 has combined physical activity with learning in a skip rope challenge where students answer questions related to salt while skipping .
As an added incentive, students who participate in all games are given the opportunity to participate in the game Spin the Wheel.
Such educational initiatives are part of the SeeSalt Team’s efforts to support the Brunei National Health Goal 2030, which aims to reduce high salt intake and promote a healthier lifestyle among the community.
