St. Petersburg Councils for Alcohol Prevention

Health administrators in St. Petersburg are working together to target alcohol prevention in school-based programs. Recent research suggests that current prevention actions In Russia are aimed at the importance of a healthy lifestyle as a whole, including prevention of smoking, drugs and HIV. However, there are almost no programs aimed on alcohol prevention. Health committees in Russia and Finland attribute this lack of awareness to uninformed schoolteachers and specialists who are not able to educate children about the risks of alcohol consumption. The pervasiveness of alcoholism in Russia has further convinced health administrators that it is a priority to teach these risks at an early age so that alcohol abuse may be prevented. In order to raise awareness and inform communities about alcohol prevention services, a unified council plans to:

• Train educators and healthcare specialists to inform children and families about the risk of alcohol consumption
• Organize meetings between health councils to monitor progres
• Create a peer-to-peer education network for support 
• Raise public awareness through street advocacy programs

Health officials understand the difficulty and time needed to accomplish such a monumental task. However, they understand this as a necessary step to decrease the widespread use/abuse of alcohol in Russia and improve health and wellbeing of families.

Wellness Programs

Wellness is first and foremost a choice to assume responsibility for the quality of your life. It begins with a conscious decision to shape a healthy lifestyle. Wellness is a mindset, a predisposition to adopt a series of key principles in varied life areas that lead to high levels of well-being and life satisfaction. 

The research suggests that the "wellest of the well" possessed the following qualities, to an uncommon degree:

• high self-esteem and a positive outlook
• a foundation philosophy and a sense of purpose
• a strong sense of personal responsibility
• a good sense of humor and plenty of fun in life
• a concern for others and a respect for the environment
• a conscious commitment to personal excellence
• a sense of balance and an integrated lifestyle
• freedom from addictive behaviors of a negative or health-inhibiting nature
• a capacity to cope with whatever life presents and to continue to learn
• grounded in reality
• highly conditioned and physically fit
• a capacity to love and an ability to nurture
• a capacity to manage life demands and communicate effectively.

A successful wellness program should have 4 main components:

1) Health Screens (data collections)--including health risk assessments and biometric screening

2) Health Improvement Programs--assess data and strategically improve health risks of targeted individuals

3) Compliance Programs--an incentive structure that promotes high participation in a positive manner

4) Reporting--varied methods of individual, aggregate, ROI provide accurate and transparent coverage to assess and modify the program as necessary. 

We can help you reach your goals.