Teams of medical students from UC Irvine are working in overseas clinics and hospitals and helping physicians learn how to incorporate iPads and ultrasound technology into their practices.
Students have been paired up with health-care providers in Nicaragua, Australia, Peru, China and Vietnam. They are blogging about their experiences on the university's iMedEd International site.
The posts are a mix of cultural and clinical observations. A recent entry from the team traveling in China and Vietnam highlighted how some Asian communities use public spaces to promote exercise:
In Baodi and Tianjin, workout equipment can be found along the streets and within parks. Many adults, young and old, are taking the opportunity to use them while their kids or grandkids wait and play on the unoccupied ones. It’s such a great way to promote healthy lifestyles by making the equipment be so accessible.
In addition to these adult playgrounds, each night people gather in the plazas and in the parks to dance. In Baodi, there’s a park or an open plaza every other block. In Tianjin, there are not as many parks but people will gather in parking lots or in the large driveways of corporate buildings. Most of the dancers are the older women. And from afar, it looks like a mini flashmob! Every night, these women come together to dance as a form of exercise.
Photo by gill_penney
