Dozens of kids and families got their hearts pumping at the fourth annual World Health Day LA, a free community event that offered heart-healthy sports activities, health screenings, entertainment and education at the Expo Center on April 6.
The event’s tagline, “Put your Heart into Health!” reflected the World Health Organization’s theme of hypertension for this year’s World Health Day, which is globally observed each year on April 7. To celebrate and raise awareness in Los Angeles, USC annually teams up with local universities and organizations to offer free health exams and family-friendly activities for World Health Day LA.
The health fair—organized by the USC School of Pharmacy—offered free cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, vision and body fat screenings and education. At the neighboring soccer fields, parents and kids enjoyed arts and crafts, live music, aerobics, basketball, football, kickball, martial arts, rugby and sports performance training. Students and volunteers ran the stations.
This year, World Health Day LA was organized by students and staff at USC and UCLA, with support from the USC Institute for Global Health, Keck School of Medicine of USC, USC School of Pharmacy, UCLA School of Public Health, UCLA School of Nursing, EXPO Center, City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and Global Health Review.
