UMW Educates Kendari Students on Early Kidney Health
Kendari (ANTARA) - Mandala Waluya University (UMW) Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, is educating students in the area to maintain kidney health from an early age to prevent the risk of kidney disorders and failure in young people through a school-based programme.
“We developed this programme because preventing kidney disorders cannot wait until someone is an adult. Education must start from adolescence, especially through the school environment,” said UMW Kendari Programme Implementation Team Leader Asbath Said in Kendari on Sunday.
Asbath explained that the education, packaged as the Sekolah Sehat Ginjal Remaja (Sehati-Remaja) or Adolescent Kidney Health School programme, is designed to improve health literacy and build sustainable healthy living habits in the educational environment.
According to him, one of the main focuses of this educational intervention is to change the habits of teenagers who currently have low consumption of plain water but high consumption of sugary drinks.
“Students are invited to understand the importance of drinking enough plain water, limiting sugary drinks, and adopting simple healthy behaviours that have a major impact on kidney health,” he said.
Asbath added that the programme’s approach emphasises measurable behavioural change. Students are provided with a daily journal to record their volume of plain water and sugary drink consumption, so that the school can conduct regular monitoring.
In addition, the UMW implementation team provides digital literacy media accessible via devices to obtain educational materials, learning videos, digital books, and interactive quizzes. The programme also empowers student cadres as agents of change to remind each other among peers.
Meanwhile, the school welcomed this educational initiative positively as it strengthens the School Health Unit (UKS) programme and supports the formation of a healthy living culture within the educational environment.
This programme is very beneficial because students not only receive information but are also invited to practise healthy habits directly. The materials are easy to understand and the media is engaging.
The Sehati-Remaja educational programme is part of a Community Partnership Programme supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) as a means of strengthening the role of higher education in community empowerment through promotive and preventive health innovation.