Hospital da Luz, in partnership with Varzim Sport Club, has hold on January 23 at Grande Colégio da Póvoa de Varzim a health promotion educational session englobing 240 elementary students , with ages between six and nine. This was the inaugural session of program +Desporto +Saúde , a Hospital da Luz project destined to the school community, in collaboration with sports partners. On this day dedicated to Grande Colégio da Póvoa de Varzim, the motto was “ Healthy smile, strong heart! ”: the goal was to raise awareness to the importance of oral hygiene, the daily care of teeth, the acknowledgement of healthy and unhealthy dietary habits, and the regular practise of physical activity. By means of a “Health Traffic Light System”, students were challenged to identify healthy, alert, or avoidable behaviour. Through this practical and interactive methodology, with games, dialogues and cooperation, children learned that brushing their teeth, eating properly and practising sport contribute to a healthier and balanced growth. This way, in a playful and pedagogical manner, other fundamental topics were also worked, such as the respect for the body, the positive expression of affection, the ability to say “no” to uncomfortable situations, the importance of asking for the help of a trusted adult, and the acknowledgement that all people are different physically and emotionally. Varzim SC athletes and mascot (arm in arm with Lu, the Hospital da Luz mascot) have played a central role in the dynamization of the interaction with the children and helped reinforcing the correlation between health, sport, and school . In the end, there was a true whirlwind of requests for autographs and photos! Hospital da Luz Póvoa de Varzim and Varzim SC thank Colégio, its pedagogical direction and the whole teaching and non-teaching staff for welcoming this initiative and for all the collaboration provided. +Desporto +Saúde This is a pioneering project within the Luz Saúde group, developed by the team of Hospital da Luz Póvoa de Varzim. The goal is to reinforce the connection to the community and contribute to the promotion of health literacy from an early age, via school and sport . The kick-off was dedicated to primary education stages, but the project was designed to englobe also middle and secondary students, with specific topics approaching the different dimensions of physical, emotional, and mental health. All the content in this project is in line with the Essential Learnings in Health defined by the Directorate-General for Education, thus ensuring pedagogical consistency and adequation to the different ages. In the photo below, the team involved in the creation and development of the project: from Varzim Sport Club, Ana Ramalho (communication director), Martim Boloto, Stitch, and Miguel Vila Cova (athletes), Hugo Leite (marketing and commercial), and Mia Silva (photographer); from Hospital da Luz Póvoa de Varzim, Sandra Ferreira (nurse), Mónica Azevedo (marketing director), Patrícia Barros, and Sónia Martins (client support assistants).
