SHINE
SHINE – Student Health Initiative – a Novel Endeavor by HealthSecure Foundation
SHINE is an 8 session online module (video recordings by Dr. Sue along with live discussions led by college faculty liaison) to teach health information to college students in an innovative way so they learn skills for lifelong good physical, mental and emotional health.
Most college students in India have little health knowledge by the time they graduate from college. They’re not sure how to get the most nutrition from their diet, what kind of exercise plan to follow, how to reduce stress, get better sleep and lead a happy and healthy life. They often rely on friends and family, or celebrities online, who don’t have any formal medical training. Even though some students have more awareness, especially those in life sciences, most of it is academic. They don’t have practical knowledge and skills to help them make good lifestyle choices for themselves and their future families to prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and anxiety, that are plaguing India and the world.
In order to fill this need, Dr. Sue Royappa, internal medicine physician and public health specialist in preventive medicine and health behavior modification, has developed a series of lectures and interactive group sessions based on her years of experience treating adults with chronic disease and lecturing extensively in both India and USA on the subject. She is passionate about preventing disease in middle and older age by empowering people to modify health behaviors while they are still young and have not yet established decades of unhealthy habits.
The material is delivered completely online so it is suitable for easy access to anyone with a smartphone and internet connection. The pilot program was very successful at a college in Tamil Nadu and the next stage is to promote it to colleges throughout India.
Mission
- Raise awareness and increase knowledge relating to preventive health behaviors in college students that would allow them to enjoy lifelong good physical, mental and emotional health.
- Accomplish this in a novel format that encourages engagement and participation through motivating lectures, videos and group activities.
- It will not be academic lectures for the purpose of simply passing a test or getting marks.
- It will be about learning information and skills that students can take to heart and apply to the rest of their lives.
Objectives
- Weekly one hour sessions consisting of lecture, group activities, discussion.
- Eight sessions in the module
- Skill development for positive health behavior modification and chronic disease prevention
- Discuss two models of health behavior change and apply them to various disease states
- Continuous learning assessments through quizzes and in-class/home assignments
- Provide resources for additional learning and lifestyle modification
- Anonymous feedback from students after each session