April 9, 2008

• Competition patterned after The Amazing Race

• Public health students complete tasks to gain points

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students traveled to Birmingham-area parks, cemeteries and businesses on Friday to demonstrate how public-health projects safeguard and improve lives.

The three-hour event was called The Amazing Public Health Race, and was hosted by the UAB School of Public Health.

Patterned after the CBS reality show The Amazing Race, the competition featured five teams of five individuals who traveled around the metro area completing tasks, gathering clues and educating others about the role of public health. Team members were employees of area businesses and nonprofit agencies.

RACE ‘MONITORS' KEPT SCORE

As the teams moved among the five stops they were scored by race ‘monitors' on how well they performed. The locations and tasks were designed to demonstrate important public-health issues and practices, like monitoring diet and exercise, promoting sustainable agriculture and encouraging recycling.

The highest-scoring team was comprised of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama employees. The team as a whole was awarded $500, which will go toward their chosen charity.

The UAB competition was developed to help celebrate National Public Health Week, which began April 7. The student-led competition is part of a This Is Public Health national awareness campaign.

Events across the nation include working with elementary schools to create health comics, hosting scavenger hunts and health fairs, and sponsoring lectures and recycling programs.