Gold award for boosting campus wellness
Exercise and well-being have been internationally recognised at City University of Hong Kong (CityU).
A Gold Campus Award for 2020 has been awarded under the Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) programme co-launched by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association.
Gold level campuses possess a referral system in which campus health-care providers evaluate physical activity among students and refer them, if necessary, to a qualified fitness professional, according to the EIM-OC committee.
CityU, which won Silver Campus Awards in 2017 and 2019, is one of only 166 institutes around the world to be honoured by the ACSM Exercise is Medicine® initiative in 2020 for its continuous efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus.
The award highlights how CityU fosters physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages the campus community to work together to improve health and well-being. This aspiration matches the advocacy of the “One Health” concept at CityU.
The CityU EIM-OC Task Force launched in 2016 by Professor Horace Ip Ho-shing, Vice-President (Student Affairs), helped the University earn Gold level designation.
The task force encourages on-going endeavours such as health talks, physical fitness courses and activities. In addition, health and fitness assessments are organised throughout the year.
Professor Way Kuo, CityU President, conveyed his congratulations to all CityU participants of the programme. “This recognition comes as a timely reminder for the University community to keep regular exercise and foster a healthy body and mind in this challenging time,” he said.
Dr Patrick Chan Ping-cheung, Chairperson of the CityU EIM-OC Task Force and Associate Director of Student Development Services (Physical Education), said success in the programme was due to a concerted effort across different offices and bodies on campus, revealing strong collaboration between physical fitness professionals and healthcare professionals at CityU.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their unfailing support. This mission would not be possible unless, as a team, we share the ‘Exercise is Medicine® On Campus’ vision and put words into action,” he said.
CityU also has established a health maintenance work protocol signed by the on-campus medical clinic to incorporate physical activities and exercise plans into medical consultations; launched the year-long “CityU Wellness for All" campaign to enhance physical wellness and healthy lifestyle; and created a mobile application “CityU Walk” to motivate users to exercise more.
Other contributors to CityU’s achievement in winning the Gold Campus Award include Dr Ron Kwok Chi-wai, Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems and an advisor of the task force; Dr Charles Chan Wen-cheng and his colleagues at the on-campus medical clinic; the “Wellness for All” and “CityU Delegation for Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon” organising committees; different sections of Student Development Services and line offices under the Office of the Vice-President (Student Affairs); a variety of student sports bodies, administrative offices as well as academic faculties; and most importantly the participation of the University community.