DOHA: Aspetar has recently launched a new health and fitness programme entitled ‘Haraka wa Seha’ targeting children in Qatar aged 12 years and under. The new initiative is part of Aspetar’s Healthy Lifestyle Department, which, through a range of activities, regularly encourages residents to be active and adopt healthy lifestyles. ‘Haraka wa Seha’ is an interactive programme specifically aimed at children in Qatar. Consisting of several stages, each phase will last four weeks. Activities will be held weekly, every Monday and Wednesday, and each session will see children playing a variety of sports, including football, handball, volleyball and basketball. Additionally, the participants will receive information about the importance of health and fitness and topics related to physical education. A qualified scientific and medical crew will supervise the programme, in addition to the physical education teachers in different schools who will be provided with all the necessary support and information by the Healthy Lifestyle Programme.” Aspetar previously launched a health programme for adults entitled ‘Step into Health’, which is designed to encourage members of the community to change their lifestyle and be more active by walking 10,000 steps a day. ‘Step into Health’ has attracted over 29,000 participants since its launch in December 2012. Aspetar is a world leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, and the first of this kind in the Middle East. Since 2007, the hospital has provided top-level comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the-art facility that sets new standards internationally.