The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria has emphasised the importance of health awareness for professional engineers, noting that engineers’ work environments could expose them to various health risks.

The chairman of APWEN in Lagos, Bosede Oyekunle, stated this during a hybrid health awareness seminar and chapter meeting on Wednesday.

Ms Oyekunle, a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, said that the seminar became necessary for members due to the physical and mental demands of their work. She noted that regular health check-ups and awareness programmes would help identify potential health issues early, reduce absenteeism, and increase work efficiency.

According to her, the seminar aims to provide valuable resources and support for managing mental well-being, addressing stress, depression, and anxiety.

This, she said, would help members to understand occupational hazards and take preventive measures to mitigate potential health problems.

“As we celebrate our nation’s 64th Independence Day, we are reminded of the importance of health, unity, and progress. Today, we’re proud to host this health awareness workshop, focusing on preventive care, wellness, and empowerment.

“By prioritising health awareness, professional engineers can maintain their physical and mental well-being, ensuring a healthier and more productive workforce,” she said.

The workshop facilitator, Adaobi Ebere, a consultant family physician, while delivering a lecture on ‘Causes, Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension’, cautioned engineers to avoid some daily habits of taking too much caffeine or energy drinks, and ensure that they check their BP regularly, as hypertension remains one of the silent killers that affects one  in three adults worldwide.

She noted that hypertension risk factors were advancing age, family history, and co-existing diseases like diabetes mellitus or kidney disease.

Others included some modifiable factors, such as being overweight/obese, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets (high in salt, high in saturated and trans fats, and low in fruits and vegetables), increased alcohol intake, tobacco consumption, and stress.

She urged participants to adopt a good lifestyle management, such as regular exercise, healthy diets through low-sodium diets and avoidance of processed foods, good intake of vegetables and fruits, effective stress management, drastic reduction of alcohol consumption, and total abstinence from the use of tobacco products.

Oluwagbemiga Durojaiye, a fellow of the West African College of Physicians, urged participants to undergo regular check-ups to monitor their cholesterol levels, kidney function, liver enzyme levels, thyroid hormone levels, and urine analysis.

According to him, the best gift that an individual can give to themselves or loved ones is a regular check-up.

(NAN)