Health issues often occur so that we have to maintain our health. Awareness of maintaining the health should be entailed within ourselves. It can be commenced by keeping the health of living environment. Noticing the significance of maintaining the health, Center for Women’s Studies (PSW) of Universitas Muhamasiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) collaborating with Faculty of Medicine and Health Science (FKIK) of UMY conducted health counseling in Tambak Bayan, Kawasan Tepi Sungai Winongo, Ngampilan Yogyakarta on Sunday (19/8).
The counseling promoted since May brought a theme of ‘Empowering Women in Environmental Sanitation for the Prevention of TB and DHF’. “This counseling was addressed to women because in Tambak Bayan they are more socially active and have higher understanding of their environment. Through the counseling, they were expected to comprehend more about the importance of maintaining the health of their environment,” declared a supervisor of the counselor, Yoni Astuti, M.Kes., Ph.D.
“One of the counseling materials was dealing with the significance of natural lighting for health, particularly for babies and toddlers who need ultraviolet from sun for their growth. However, high buildings such as hotels prevent the sunshine. After the counseling, mothers and children knew the importance of the sunshine and initiated to get the light by themselves as a mother took a walk with her baby in the morning,” told Yoni.
Besides, the sunshine is also necessary for avert high humidity. Humid environment tends to worsen sanitation and air quality. “We also checked their dwellings to find out whether or not they get sufficient lighting. We found that a house receives lack of lighting so that today we together are going to renovate it,” said Yoni.
Additionally, the other supervisor Tri Wulandari Kesetyaningsih, M.Kes. informed that people of Tambak Bayan showed a good response to the counseling and they were enthusiastic to participate in it. “They possess good understanding of health, but they sometimes do not applied it since they are busy. The counseling and empowerment functioned to accompany the people to maintain their health,” thought Tri.
She also maintained that UMY also created health cadres during the empowerment. “The cadres will be pioneers to maintain health in Tambak Bayan. After the program ends, UMY also will send some people to control them in implementing health maintenance.
Being Motivated to Live Healthier
A resident of Tambak Bayan Kasiyati told that she had suffered TB and after she recovered she has become aware of the importance of maintaining health. “After I got better from TB, I always keep my health. I also regularly do sugar and cholesterol checking in Puskesmas,” she said.
A house rent by Kasiyati was the community service location and was used to organize the counseling that UMY painted it with water repellent paint. It was hoped that walls of the house is no longer humid so that air quality is improved.
