We recently spoke with Shakir Saud, Healthy Monday campaign promoter at the City College of New York (CCNY) Wellness Center, who talked to us about his work with the Healthy Monday campaign at CCNY. Shakir is currently pursuing his Masters in Biology at CCNY and works as a paramedic at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in Morningside Heights. Shakir shares the difficulties and successes of the Healthy Monday campaign, a non-profit initiative that offers a weekly impulse to support people in starting and keeping up healthy behaviors.

Q: What are some challenges you found in promoting the Healthy Monday campaign at CCNY?

A: Raising student awareness about the campaign was the most challenging part for several reasons. CCNY is a commuter school so it is common for students and faculty to only be on campus on certain days, or at certain times of day. Information had to be available not only on Mondays from 12:00 - 2:00 pm during the program, but for full days throughout the week; therefore, it was important that promotion and outreach efforts be continuous. Some of my work included using the CCNY mailing server, Facebook, and having a spokesperson like me always available on campus.

Q: Which Healthy Monday campaigns have been most successful?

A: The peer educator outreach program, specifically those focusing on HIV testing and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention as well as the "eat well, do well" program. The idea of the "eat well, do well" program is that if you eat well you can perform better in class. Weekly tips such as to eat more "brain food" like whole grains, to eat breakfast, and cut back on energy drinks are emailed to students. Students can also follow the tips on Twitter.

Q: Why do you think the HIV testing and STD prevention programs were successful?

A: Probably because the students talked to their peers about the importance of being tested. The number of CCNY students being tested tripled after the peer program started. The nutrition portion of the peer project was successful mostly because we had giveaways like free lunches that drew the student's attention to the programs and got them involved.

Q: Could you tell us about the Soda Initiative of the Healthy Monday campaign?

A: The Soda Initiative was inspired by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's program to help students reduce calories by decreasing the amount of soda they drink. One can of soda has about 20 packs of sugar and so it can cause significant weight gain if consumed regularly. I believe switching soda to juice or water is one the easier things to change in one's diet.

Q: Could you explain why drinking too much soda is an issue?

A: Most people are unaware that soda is bad for them, especially for children. Although soda can lead to childhood obesity, other effects such as rotting teeth are also of great concern. I have found that once people understand the risk, they are willing to cut back on soda.

The only challenge at CCNY is the fact that soda is much cheaper and usually comes with a sandwich, or Chinese food.

Harlem Word is a series of interviews with Harlem health experts, written by HHPC and reviewed by our Health Advisory Board.