The Impact and Future of Promoting Health and Wellness in Dumaguete City, Negros Island Region, Philippines

The modern lifestyles of Filipinos, having poor food choices and lack of exercise, have resulted in unhealthy living. Alarmed with unlikely deaths of young and old residents, the Journalism and Mass Communication Department of Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), in collaboration with the Local Government Unit of Dumaguete City, fostered an extension program of the Forward Newsletter Dumaguete Lifestyle Trends (bi-annual issue), which promoted healthy living lifestyles. The Forward Newsletter was produced from June 2019 to December 2020 and was circulated through the Facebook page. The study employed a qualitative questionnaire designed by the Extension Program of NORSU with seven major questions, and sixty-seven reader respondents answered the online poll. The demographic composition was females (74%), and most of them belonged to the 18-25 age group. Based on the survey, they expressed that the Forward Newsletter, having released two publication issues, was highly relevant, useful, and satisfying, showing their interest in sports, health, and wellness. With these developments, they had been aware of what was happening in the city. The respondents further declared that they felt satisfied with the content of the newsletter on sports, health, and wellness and found it credible with its good grammar, formatting, and layout. With this, the reader research respondents were hopeful that the Forward Newsletter extension program would continue in the future.