30/10/2016 The Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) has implemented its project “Shababna Youth for Health” in partnership with the University of Jordan’s School of Nursing, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The project aims to raise awareness among university students from different faculties regarding the dangers of chronic diseases, especially those affecting the youth as well as local communities.

RHAS Director General, Hanin Odeh, showcased the RHAS’ activities, proving that it has worked consistently on awareness and prevention programs since its launch in 2005 in a bid to turn Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah’s vision into reality.

Odeh remarked that RHAS has implemented several awareness-raising projects in Jordanian schools and universities, making youth its top priority, especially when 76% of deaths in Jordan are due to chronic diseases, RHAS saw value in raising awareness among that age group, seeing that Jordanian society is mostly comprised of youth.

She reiterated the important role a university plays in conveying health awareness messages to the local community. She said that this unique experience with the University of Jordan allowed RHAS to push 9 different initiatives containing large amounts of integral information on chronic diseases.

Odeh also congratulated participants in the project and expressed her appreciation for the University of Jordan due to the support it offered, which contributed to RHAS’ realization of its own vision and goals.

UJ President, Dr. Azmi Mahaftha, checked the achievements of students participating in the “Shababna Youth for Health” project as he toured the exhibition that took place on UJ premises.

Mahaftha continued his tour to visit all the sections of the exhibitions, which contained plenty of information on the dangers that smoking poses on the human body, such as diabetes, blood vessel disease, cancer and heart diseases. The exhibition also had a section that presented the successful methods of starting the ideal family, one that embraces reproduction, the changes that the human body goes through, and avoids stress and anger. The students also highlighted some of the society’s pressing issues, like the dangers of under-age marriage.

Additionally, the students shared important information about the ideal human diet, including portions, meals and facing the perils of obesity.

On his part, Mahaftha thanked the organizers and participants, highlighting the power and importance of youth participation in facing the challenges human societies face in a scientific and interactive manner.

Mahaftha commended participating students for their efforts and expressed his hope to expand the project to include students from other Jordanian universities.

The participants also graduated that day in the presence of UJ Vice President, Dr. Omar Kafaween.

School of Nursing Dean, Dr. Manar Al Nabulsi, commended the partnership between the university and RHAS which contributed greatly to the success of the project. She added that the project is aligned with the school’s interest in youth participation and highlights the importance of volunteer work, as well as proving that they possess the power to create change in the Jordanian society.

Al Nabulsi said that chronic diseases, such as diabetes, blood vessel disease, obesity, kidneys, and cancer, among others have indeed spread into our society, confirming that these diseases represent a significant proportion of the diseases in global statistics.

She added that these statistics indicate that we need to take a serious look at our lifestyles and investigate the causes of such diseases; the society needs its citizens to adopt healthier lifestyles, which are integral in chronic disease prevention.

Supervising members of the faculty have been honored for their efforts, and 35 students were handed their participation certificates.

Attending the ceremony were several officials from RHAS, UNFPA and UJ, which featured a documentary showcasing the phases of project implementation and its goals, which took place in the Jordan University for Science and Technology as well as the University of Jordan.