The Wellness Centre at the Primary Health Care Corporation ( PHCC) works to help adults with obesity, unhealthy lifestyles and chronic diseases to make positive lifestyle choices and behavioural changes to achieve a balance in physical, mental, and emotional health.
People may benefit from the services by visiting their family doctor who will conduct clinical assessments and understand the health, psychological and environmental factors associated with unhealthy lifestyles to determine the level of risk and initiate the correct referral pathway, either directly to the gym or to health coach and exercise physiologist clinics.
The Wellness Centre offers a 12-week physical activity programme, which includes three checkpoints: initially, six weeks and 12 weeks, a statement said Monday. Monitoring indicators including body measurements, body composition analysis, and assessment of flexibility, balance, posture, cardiopulmonary fitness, and muscular endurance will enable corrective action to be taken and modify the programme based on need and progress.
Dr Sarah Rashid Musa, community medicine specialist and wellness in charge at Rawdat Al Khail Health Centre, explained that the top priority for the centre is to ensure the safety of patients through various precautions and measures.
Mokhtar Ahmad Edrees, a gym instructor at Rawdat Al Khail, stressed the importance of a pre-programme clinical assessment that includes the input of a doctor and an exercise physiologist to develop an appropriate wellness plan.
He said that a clear, comprehensive picture of the patient's background and circumstances guides in designing and monitoring the effectiveness of the programme.
“By the end of the 12th week, as sports coaches, we are obligated to write a discharge summary consisting of the goals achieved in terms of improvement in symptoms of the condition, lifestyle, physical activity performance/adherence, any incidents encountered during the programme and assess the overall improvement in quality of life.”
Beya al-Saddiq Kacem, a gym instructor at Rawdat Al Khail, added that, she has received patients from diverse medical backgrounds, which makes every day a challenge to evaluate the risks and benefits, and plan a programme to enhance functionality and reduce risk of injuries.
For example, clients with diabetes or high blood pressure should start with supervised exercise sessions, low to moderate intensity exercises such as yoga or Pilates focusing more on resistance exercises, learning/improving movement techniques, working with body weights, and flexibility and breathing.
For patients who suffer from joint problems and back pain, they must stay away in the first stage from some sports equipment and classes with high intensity, jumping, or heavy weights. Resistance exercise should be light, with body weight or elastic bands, and with supervision and well-proven techniques.
Dr Sarah Rashid Musa
