teaching health and wholeness in the university context
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Teaching Health and Wholeness in the University Context. Doug Fountain Dept of Health Sciences, Uganda Christian University. Uganda Christian University. Church of Uganda Founded in 1997 on grounds of 83 year old theological college Chartered by Gov’t Branches around country Students: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Teaching Health and Wholeness in the University Context
Doug Fountain
Dept of Health Sciences, Uganda Christian University
Uganda Christian University
Church of Uganda Founded in 1997 on grounds
of 83 year old theological college
Chartered by Gov’t Branches around country Students:
Main: 5000, Branches: 2000 Will get to 14,000 total >50% female >5% international
Faculties
Theology Education and Arts, Business Law Social Science Science &
Technology
Serious about Christian identity
Instruments of Identity Define “authentic”
Christianity in doctrine and in practice
Member, CCCU Integration of worship,
fellowship, discipleship
Core courses
Core Courses
American model, not British/specialized Christian subjects: Old Testament, New
Testament, Understanding World View, Christian Ethics
Other subjects: Research and Writing Skills, Basic Computing, Mathematics
Newest: Health and Wholeness
Why Health and Wholeness
Goals: Improve health of students on campusPrepare ‘health leaders’ in work and lifeEquip students to influence families in villages
Implication: Must be practical, meaningful, and both self- and other-focused
“Opportunities”
Construct a meaningful University-level course for 1,500 students per year!
Assignments and assessing progress Reading materials that are appropriate,
neither too complicated nor too simple Literature around ‘wholeness’
Course Content
Introduction / Defining Holistic Health
Nutrition Hygiene Sanitation, Water,
Land Use Sexuality and HIV risk Maternal/Child Health Fitness
First Aid/ Early Intervention
Infectious Disease Sexually Transmitted
Infection Addiction Building Healthy
Society
How H&W is taught
Lecture (400+ per lecture!! Yikes) Tutorial - Discussion
Divided by programme, groups of 40 Then small groups of 8-10
Workbooks – personal reflection (it should be) Readings (mostly AMREF books) “Whole Truth” – study a scripture passage Scrap books – application to current subjects Intention is to be practical and applied
How UCU defines wholeness
A state of personal physical, emotional/mental, spiritual, and social health in which a person knows their value in the eyes of God, their families and communities, and are empowered to make good health decisions.
Two perspectives on wholeness
1. Social, emotional, spiritual factors influence physical health
2. Health is more than physical Emotional hygiene Spiritual fitness Social addiction
Physical is affected by emotional, social, and spiritual Role of peer influences (social) Lack healthy leisure skills/activities (social) Poor self-esteem, powerlessness
(emotional) Broken relationship with God causes us to
act out of selfish intent (spiritual)
Example: Hygiene
Physical problem: Keep small germs (bacteria, viruses, parasites) from becoming big health problems
Identify physical strategies Identify other influences on physical hygiene:
Other people follow cleanliness rules (social) Feel like taking care of yourself (emotional) God reminds you to keep His temple clean (spiritual)
Example: Hygiene (2)
There are social, emotional, and spiritual “germs” to control as well
Social: Jealousy, lust, rage Emotional: self doubt, negative view of self Spiritual: doubt scripture, worship money These have health consequences, as
much as a parasite!
Example: Hygiene (3)These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.“ 2Peter 2:17-22
Example: Fitness
Endurance Strength Flexibility
Physical Don’t loose breath
Carry weight Bend or reach without pain
Social Long term friendships
People to count on during difficulty
Make friends in new situations
Emotional Manage sustained stress
Stand pressure of hardships
Adapt to change
Spiritual Discipleship with God
Stand up to temptations
Follow God’s will
Sexuality and HIV Risk
Sex is God’s gift to a married man/woman Connect social temptations with self
esteem Provide fact sheet on Green’s ABC data:
we want our students to be apologists
Feedback
Formal: 625 students in Sept 05 Highest interest: hygiene, nutrition, Sex/HIV, first aid 94% of students found the tutorials to be very helpful
Informal: What students do with this information Nebbi – Student phoned family each week, they
passed on to others. Jinja – 15 students spending 10 weeks in an
underserved fishing village, helping a local organization carry out health promotion
“Building a healthy society”
Student concerned about “social diseases” Tribalism, nepotism, corruption
Lead to inefficiency, misappropriation of resources, and under service“If you go to the hospital and find a nurse from
a different tribe, you may as well go home” Approach: Debate on topics by
outsiders… other ideas?