SINGAPORE - About 300 upper primary pupils from the West Zone gathered at Juying Primary School on Saturday (Feb 25) morning to take part in Singapore Heart Foundation's (SHF) BP Initiative @ Schools Carnival 2017.

This is part of the SHF's Blood Pressure Initiatives @ Schools programme.

Pupils attended a workshop by Dr Chee Tek Siong, cardiologist and member of SHF'S board of directors.

Some pupils from Juying Primary School also served as SHF's Junior BP Ambassadors by teaching others how to measure their blood pressure accurately.

A joint research collaboration was also signed by SHF and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to explore how social robots can be used to make the programme more effective.

Later this year, three half-metre-tall "Nao" humanoid robots programmed by NTU scientists will be used in the programme to help convey health messages in an interactive manner to pupils.

Said guest-of-honour Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Trade: "By encouraging blood pressure checks in the young, we inculcate a good habit of self-awareness and responsibility for their own health which will benefit them as they grow up."