Health Expo: The Nine Dimensions of Wellness
In coordination with the Live Healthy Liberty Coalition, Student Health and Wellness services hosted the annual Health Expo Sept. 19 in the Montview Ballroom.
A variety of university and local vendors set up tables to welcome students and teach about the nine dimensions of wellness that Student Health and Wellness promotes. The event served as a way to get students actively involved by giving them a passport and a sticker for each table they visited. Students who filled their passports won a free Health Expo T-shirt and received helpful information about ways to participate in various healthy living practices.
“We ask that (every exhibitor) have a dimension of wellness, a specific table topic and then an activity or some way to engage the students as they’re walking through the event,” Abi Broda, assistant director of Student Health and Wellness Initiatives, said.
The Health Expo offered a diverse range of topics for students to discover. The Office of Community Life and the Office of Equity and Inclusion covered areas of social wellness, while Campus Recreation discussed the importance of physical responsibility.
The Center for Financial Literacy encouraged students to guess the price of everyday items to raise
awareness about budgeting and financial well-being.
The event also allowed students to engage with the spiritual organizations on campus. The Office of Spiritual Development encouraged students to invest in their spiritual health by participating in a campus-wide prayer walk Nov. 5.
Among the local organizations represented was the American Heart Association, which quizzed students on cardiac trivia and handed out pamphlets to promote healthy heart habits.
Broda said the event was a success thanks to the intentional preparation done in the months before the event.
“In the spring, we get together with marketing and do all the designing, and we get all of our material together for the fall,” Broda said. “All the different details go into play there, and we diligently make sure each table can engage with students.”
The retro video game theme for this year’s Health Expo was born during this preparation. Liberty Dining took the video game theme to heart by setting up a Minecraft-themed table that encouraged students to craft their own healthy meals and promoted a nourishing diet.
Ultimately, the event brought together students and various organizations to promote holistic health development in the student body and Lynchburg area.
As part of the ongoing Wellness Olympics, the Health Expo allowed students to earn points for attending as well as giving them additional information on future events. The department hopes students will see the importance of a complete lifestyle through various upcoming events.
“We really like to emphasize with the students that health and wellness is holistic,” Broda said.
More information on the Wellness Olympics can be found here.
Musser is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter