KOTA KINABALU: A challenge to do a minimum 150-minute workout per week and consuming five servings of vegetables with fruits per day is being taken up by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students as part of a healthy lifestyle campaign.
The six-month programme, dubbed FSSK x ANMS with the tagline #Move Munch Balance, aims to shift health behaviours and improve productivity.
UMS vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor, who launched the campaign, said a preliminary study in March showed students lacked exercise despite knowing the importance of a balanced and healthy diet.
“A healthy lifestyle is important in reducing absenteeism among staff and students and in keeping productivity levels up,” he said.
Prof Kasim said the campaign could later be extended to the whole campus and to its branches in Labuan and Sandakan.
“The Higher Education Ministry promotes walking 10,000 steps a day.
“Here, we have the walk and talk programme which provides an opportunity for lecturers, staff and students to discuss matters while walking.
“We offer trails for walks with one more route opened recently,” he said, adding that he walks up six floors to his office to stay fit.
To bring down the escalating medical costs at UMS, Prof Kasim said staff and students need to adopt a healthy lifestyle and should do recreational activities for at least an hour a day.
The campaign is a collaboration between the UMS-Unicef Communication for Development (C4D) Research Unit and the health promotion branch of the Sabah Health Department.
UMS-Unicef C4D research unit head Dr Latif Lai said ‘Move’ refers to the need to have at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
Some 200 students took part in the launch, which also saw Prof Kasim joining them in an exercise routine before flagging them off for a 10,000 steps walk.
