PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AS LOCKDOWN CONTINUES
SAT-7 provides a health lifeline for viewers across its four channels with programs such as the new SAT-7 ACADEMY health education series Dr Bee, airing on SAT-7 ARABIC, and other initiatives that are helping families in isolation eat well, stay active, and stay healthy across the Middle East.
“The day after the first episode of Dr Bee launched, it had been seen by two thousand additional people on social media,” says SAT-7 ACADEMY Social Media Officer Santa Hawa. “People keep telling us, ‘Thank you for raising awareness. Thank you for letting us know.’”
“Even before Covid-19 threatened viewers’ health, quality healthcare was already out of reach for many in the Arab World. “It is a human right to access health education,” explains Juliana Sfeir, SAT-7 ACADEMY Brand Manager. “But conflicts have robbed millions of the region’s children of their homes, safety, and access to healthcare. As a result, many families are not aware of their basic health needs or of symptoms that need attention.”
Dr Bee provides trustworthy information from specialists through eye-catching graphics. The show’s first episode on SAT-7 ARABIC helped viewers protect themselves from Covid-19, and subsequent episodes provide other vital health education that many cannot access elsewhere. Presenter Eliane Aoun has so far covered asthma, anaemia, and Vitamin D deficiency, and has produced a special episode for World Autism Awareness Day (2 April). Future episodes of Dr Bee will cover more topics in the areas of first aid, hygiene, nutrition, maternal health, and child development.
In order to have maximum impact on social media – where many people in the Middle East, particularly mothers, turn for advice – each episode is just a few minutes long. “Just as bees select the highest-quality pollen to make therapeutic honey, so SAT-7 ACADEMY handpicks doctors and offers their advice in small, yet healing quantities,” continues Sfeir.
As part of SAT-7’s Arabic-language coronavirus response, Dr Bee joins Expert Advice, a series of social media clips offering timely advice on physical and mental health, and Bon Appetit!, which shares short, healthy recipes from chef Sleiman Khawand featuring ingredients known to boost immunity. Reruns of the SAT-7 ACADEMY exercise program Fitness Craze are also helping children and their parents stay active, and many children’s programs are offering hygiene and prevention tips, including the SAT-7 KIDS social-media cartoon Timo. Golden Advice and Hashtag on SAT-7 PARS are also helping young Farsi-speaking viewers protect their health.
