Qatar’s Supreme Council of Health (SCH), the authority responsible for healthcare issues in the State, has launched an awareness campaign, aiming to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

The “Our Future lies in Our Health” initiative comes as part of the Supreme Council of Health’s vision to build a healthy future for the Qatari community within its Nutrition and Physical Activity Scheme 2011-2016, in line with its plans to support the Human Development Pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani, Minister of Public Health and Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Health, said: "The State of Qatar is keen on providing the finest healthcare services and technologies for all members of the society, and raise the level of health awareness among all individuals.”

“The Supreme Council of Health seeks to bring about positive change in people’s lives, encourage behavioural changes that would improve their health, and contribute to building a secure and healthy future health for generations to come. In this context, the ‘Our Future lies in our Health’ campaign came to life to transmit our message in strengthening the role of preventive healthcare as an integral element in the State’s healthcare sector, as well as promote a healthy culture, which encourages quitting smoking, eating healthy and exercising,” he added.

The “Our future lies in our Health” campaign sheds light on the SCH’s integral role in developing and implementing national healthcare policies that benefit the community, and focuses on the following three key awareness messages: eat healthy, stop smoking and get active.

These messages aim to encourage behavioural changes among the community through demonstrating the importance of healthy foods and sports in the prevention of illnesses, and the dangers of smoking - in light of the high numbers of obesity, smokers and fast food consumption.

The campaign will be ongoing for a year, focusing on raising awareness on healthy diets. It also includes a number of programmes, activities and events aimed at encouraging all segments of society to adopt a healthy lifestyle, in collaboration with various public and private institutions and agencies within the state.

In order to deliver its messages to each and every member of the community, the campaign is being spread across all media: television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards and text messages; as well as on buses, airport banners, airplane screens, and at cinemas.

The campaign also involves a variety of health-promoting activities, including seminars at public and private institutions, and distribution of pamphlets and brochures on the importance of proper exercise and foods in psychological and physical development, as well as social and educational events that address all segments of the community, taking into account the cultural diversity in Qatar. – TradeArabia News Service