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?