St Georges Health Centre

GCSE students are planning a project with a new state-of-the-art health centre to monitor and improve the health of their peers, parents and community.

Psychology students at Priory Community School – an Academy Trust – will come up with an anonymous questionnaire for the 1200 students in partnership with St Georges Health Centre based across the road in Pastures Avenue.

Questions will include diet, amount of daily physical exercise taken and time spent on computer games.

Statistics generated will then be analysed by Maths students and published to make people aware of the consequences of bad health habits.

For example, the statistics could predict what percentage of students could develop diabetes if they don’t change their eating and exercise habits.

The project is part of a plan by the health centre to improve the health of the community – rather than wait for costly medical treatment in the future.

Practice Manager Steve Edwards said: “We don’t believe in waiting until people fall ill before taking action on health. Our health centre wants to help improve the health of students, their parents and the wider community, and to start early.

“Our NHS will not be able to afford large levels of funding for healthcare in the future, so we are trying now to change health habits in new ways.

“It is a fact that children are able to positively influence their parents’ health by becoming more aware of healthy eating and lifestyle, and we are confident this study will have a good effect.”

The partnership will also involve youngsters visiting the health centre to chat to doctors and experts.

PCSA’s ‘Student Voice’ co-ordinator Julie Finlayson said: “Priory students are remarkably innovative and love the whole idea of investigating data and coming up with solutions to improve things. Health is a vital area for quality of life.”

For more information on the health centre call at their base or Telephone 01934 527681.