Mind and body. These were the concerns of UCT's annual Wellness Fair, hosted on the university's upper campus from 4 to 6 September.

Healthy path: UCT staff were pampered and educated at this year's Wellness Fair.

Staged by the Human Resources Department, the event, in its eighth year, has been more than just encouraging staff to take more proactive roles in their own health and well-being. Taking a more hands-on approach, staff could ease the stress away with a neck and shoulder massage, but also do screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and body mass index (BMI), do an HIV test and view fitness demonstrations.

The Wellness Fair also gives the university a sense of the main health problems affecting its community, and allows it to plan its programmes accordingly. Based on a screening, for example, staff can be referred to relevant internal and external service providers, such as the Organisational Health and Wellness Office, says Margie Tainton, HR's remuneration and policy manager.

"We believe that individuals can play more meaningful roles in promoting their own health, preventing their own and their families' illnesses, and participating positively in the treatment of such illnesses when they arise. We try to plan interventions to address those health conditions - mostly lifestyle-related - based on the claims experience information received from our medical aid provider."

During the event, a variety of health and wellness specialists showcased their products.