Thursday Island youths are being urged to undertake a health check to build healthy behaviours and prevent health issues as they get older.
The annual Young Person’s Health Check (YPHC) was held at Tagai Secondary Campus this month with almost 120 students taking part in the screening.
Senior Public Health Officer Mario Assan said the checks were aimed at youths aged between 15-18 and he was impressed with the turn out.
“Young people in this age group regularly avoid getting a regular health check due to certain challenges that may be shame, stigma or the belief that they may not need a health check,” he said.
“The young person’s health check is quick, taking around 10-15 minutes, the purpose is to identify any health issues early and treat young people as soon as possible.
“The health checks are effective initiative to engage young people in health services, especially focusing on preventative health.”
Torres Strait Men’s and Women’s Health Program Coordinator Lily-Annie Ahmat said an annual health check was important for young people.
She said this was the ninth year they had visited Tagai to conduct the screenings which helped their team build trust with the students.
“The YPHC included measuring their height and weight for BMI, blood pressure and providing samples of blood and urine to test for any abnormalities such as kidney and liver function and STI’s,” she said.
Students attending the Tagai health check also were eligible for prizes as part of completing their check.