Ninety-one nursing and medical students have been trained to support a national programme teaching Bahrain’s children how to make healthier choices and reduce their risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
The students, from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) – Medical University of Bahrain, took part in a one-day training programme preparing them to participate in the Diabetes Mobile Unit (DMU), a joint initiative between the university and the Bahrain Diabetes Society (BDS).
The annual session introduces a new group of students to the DMU’s work while developing their teamwork, communication and interprofessional leadership skills.
The training opened with a welcome address by RCSI Bahrain senior lecturer in nursing and deputy head of nursing and midwifery Dr Eman Tawash.
BDS vice president Dr Mariam Al Hajeri also spoke to the students, highlighting the importance of the partnership with RCSI Bahrain in promoting healthy lifestyles and increasing awareness of diabetes, which affects around 15 per cent of Bahrain’s population.
“The unit visits schools across Bahrain to deliver educational sessions covering nutrition, portion sizes and healthy mealtime habits,” she told the GDN. “Children are encouraged to eat more fruit and vegetables rather than consuming them as juices, reduce their intake of processed foods and develop healthier eating habits.”
Established in 2012, the DMU targets grade three students, introducing healthy behaviours at an early age and encouraging children to share what they learn with their families. It is a joint project between the BDS and RCSI Bahrain.
As part of the programme, pupils also receive a bilingual Arabic-English storybook telling the story of a family affected by diabetes and obesity. The story features a father living with Type 2 diabetes, a mother with gestational diabetes and children at risk of obesity.
The programme was relaunched in 2023 to align with RCSI Bahrain’s three core pillars – research, teaching and learning and community service, in a bid to expand its reach.
More than 8,000 students from public and private schools in Bahrain have taken part in the national campaign to date.
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