Intergenerational Teams Compete in Wisdom and Health at Nantou County's 'Health Little Classroom: Nutritious and Happy' Grand Finals

The 115th 'Health Little Classroom: Nutritious and Happy' competition, organized by the Nantou County Government, held its grand finals on the morning of the 31st at the fifth-floor auditorium of the County Health Bureau. Twenty intergenerational teams competed in a battle of wits, with Deputy County Magistrate Wang Rui-De attending the opening ceremony to cheer on the senior finalists who advanced to the finals. Magistrate Wang commended the participants for demonstrating the spirit of 'learning throughout life' through their actions, continuously acquiring new knowledge and maintaining health and vitality.

Deputy Magistrate Wang stated that every senior who advanced from the regional preliminaries is an outstanding expert in health knowledge, reflecting their courage in embracing new information and continuous self-improvement. He encouraged everyone to stay active through the 'three movements': interacting with others, participating in activities, and exercising regularly. He emphasized that as long as people never feel old and maintain a youthful mindset, while also paying attention to nutrition, getting sufficient sunlight, absorbing health knowledge, and keeping their minds active, they can all become seeds of health promotion within their communities, sharing healthy concepts with more residents.

Wang noted that Nantou County has entered a super-aged society, with the population aged 65 and above exceeding 23% of the total county population. The county government places great importance on senior health promotion. In addition to continuously advancing age-friendly policies, the Health Bureau established the Community Nutrition Promotion Center in 2019 (107th year of the ROC calendar), setting up branch centers at the Puli, Caotun, and Shuili health stations. Professional nutritionists actively engage with communities, providing nutrition education and free nutritional counseling services to help seniors establish correct dietary habits, prevent malnutrition and chronic diseases, and improve their quality of healthy living. Seniors are encouraged to make full use of these services.

The County Health Bureau stated that the 'Health Little Classroom' competition has entered its third year. The grand finals adopted a points-based system with three rounds, using a buzzer quiz format to incorporate health topics such as food nutrition, infectious disease prevention, mental health, food safety, medical hygiene, chronic disease prevention, and long-term care. The goal is to help seniors learn through play and deepen their understanding of correct health concepts through interaction, thereby enhancing their health literacy and cultivating good living habits.

According to the Health Bureau, registration opened in June, attracting teams of three consisting of county residents aged 55 and above and their caregivers or relatives. Four regional preliminaries were held in Nantou, Zhushan, Shuili, and Puli, with a total of 80 teams and 240 participants. Ultimately, 20 outstanding teams advanced to the grand finals.

After a morning of intense competition, the championship was won by the team led by Zeng Jun-Hao from the Nantou region, who received a 36,000 NTD gift voucher and a certificate. The runner-up was the team led by Tian Jia-Yi from the Shuili region, receiving a 30,000 NTD gift voucher. The third-place team, led by Wei Rong-Bin from the Zhushan region, received a 27,000 NTD gift voucher. Additional awards, including fourth place, excellence, and the Vitality & Health Team Award, were also presented to recognize the outstanding performances of all teams.