Throughout 2025, our University delivered a wide range of outreach programmes, educational activities, awareness initiatives, screenings, and social responsibility projects aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of the local community. These activities covered health education, early diagnosis and screening, nutrition, hygiene, oral and dental health, prevention of chronic diseases, organ donation awareness, maternal and child health, physical activity and exercise, family planning, and the social wellbeing of older people. In addition to academic staff, students studying in health-related disciplines actively participated in many of these activities, thereby integrating student engagement and practical education with direct social contribution. The University’s activities in 2025 demonstrate that promoting health and wellbeing was not limited to members of the University community, but extended directly to different segments of society, including children, families, people with special needs, adults, pregnant women, patients, relatives of patients, and older people.
One of the strongest examples of community health outreach in 2025 was a public health and awareness activity organised by the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, at Trabzon Forum Shopping Centre between 17 and 19 March 2025. Under the coordination of academic staff and within the framework of the Internal Medicine Nursing Practice Course, fourth-year Nursing students provided education to members of the local community on “Protecting Lung Health”, “Hypertension and Heart Attack”, and “Early Diagnosis and Screening Methods in Cancer.” In addition to the educational activities, visitors to the shopping centre had their blood pressure measured and received information concerning their health status. Over the three-day period, the blood pressure of approximately 700 people was measured, meaning that the programme provided not only public health awareness but also direct basic health screening services. The delivery of this activity in a highly accessible public setting and the direct involvement of students make it a particularly strong example of a University-led health outreach programme integrating community engagement, health education, screening, and student participation.
Evidence: https://ktu.edu.tr/sbf/haber/ktu-hemsirelik-bolumunden-toplum-sagligina-katki
Our University also implemented outreach activities in 2025 specifically focusing on nutrition education and improving health literacy among vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. On 15 February 2025, an academic member of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, delivered an “Autism and Nutrition” educational programme at Özel Trabzon Dilgem Speech and Language Therapy Centre for families of children with special needs. Information was provided on nutritional issues relevant to children with autism spectrum disorder, followed by an interactive question-and-answer session addressing the individual concerns of families. Rather than functioning simply as a general public seminar, the programme therefore offered targeted and needs-based health education to families caring for children with specific health and nutritional requirements.
Evidence: https://www.ktu.edu.tr/sbfbeslenme/haber/otizm-spektrum-bozuklugunda-beslenme
The University’s nutrition-related community outreach activities extended further throughout the year. On 10 April 2025, an educational programme entitled “Eat Optimally, Protect Your Health” was delivered at the Trabzon Faruk BaÅŸaran Science and Art Centre. Organised by the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics of the Faculty of Health Sciences, this activity aimed to encourage healthy dietary behaviours and represents another example of the University sharing its academic expertise in nutrition directly with educational institutions and the local community. Furthermore, on 14 March 2025, the University reached a broader public audience through a radio/television programme entitled “Healthy Nutrition During Ramadan”, through which evidence-based information on healthy nutrition was communicated to the community.
Evidence: https://dents.ktu.edu.tr/sbfbeslenme/haber/optimal-beslenin-sagliginizi-koruyun
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/sbf/etkinlik/ramazan-ayinda-saglikli-beslenme
Our University also undertook activities involving direct interaction with patients, relatives of patients, healthcare workers, and members of the public in the field of hygiene and prevention of infectious diseases. As part of World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May 2025, the Faculty of Dentistry organised a comprehensive awareness programme highlighting the importance of hand hygiene in preventing infections. Posters were prepared for patients, relatives of patients, and employees; hand hygiene brochures and materials promoting good hygiene practices were distributed; and a public information stand was established at the entrance of the Faculty. At this stand, face-to-face and practical hand hygiene education was provided to participants from different age groups. Clinical units were also visited, and healthcare workers received practical training on correct hand hygiene and disinfectant use. The programme therefore addressed both members of the public receiving healthcare services and the healthcare personnel delivering those services, making it a multidimensional infection-prevention and health-promotion intervention.
Evidence: https://www.ktu.edu.tr/diskalite/haber/5-mayis-dunya-el-hijyeni-gunu
People with special needs constituted another important target group in the University’s community-based oral and dental health outreach activities. On 15 May 2025, a “Protocol for Organising Social Responsibility Projects and Educational Seminars” was signed between the Faculty of Dentistry of our University and the Trabzon City Council. Under this protocol, the University undertook to provide preventive dental services, oral and dental health screenings, and educational activities at special education schools in Ortahisar, the Barrier-Free Life Academy, and centres serving people with special needs. Academic staff, students, and healthcare personnel were to contribute to these activities. Importantly, the protocol also explicitly aimed to encourage students to participate actively in field activities as part of their social responsibility and community engagement.
This institutional cooperation was quickly translated into a concrete community health activity. On 2 June 2025, an oral and dental health screening for students with special needs was conducted at BeÅŸikdüzü Sevim Nerim DemircioÄŸlu Special Education School. Academic staff from the Department of Paediatric Dentistry participated directly in the field activity. The programme was significant in providing early assessment and preventive healthcare services to individuals who may require additional support in accessing health services. University records also indicate that oral and dental health screenings for individuals with special needs were carried out at the Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Barrier-Free Life Academy under the same framework. These activities demonstrate that the University extended its healthcare expertise beyond the campus and directly reached disadvantaged sections of the community.
Another important community health activity combining student participation with public health awareness focused on organ donation. In April 2025, the Organ Transplant Coordination Unit of Farabi Hospital established a public information stand entitled “Hope Stand for Organ Donation” at the entrance to the hospital outpatient clinics. Fourth-year Nursing students participated actively in this activity as part of their Public Health Nursing practice. The students informed visitors about organ donation, answered their questions, and contributed to increasing public awareness. The University’s official record further notes that some members of the public who visited the stand chose to become organ donors. This initiative is particularly relevant to the student volunteering and community engagement dimension of the indicator, as students were able to translate their academic and professional education directly into a benefit for society.
Evidence: https://www.ktu.edu.tr/farabi/haber/organ-bagisi-icin-umut-standi
Another major component of the University’s community health outreach relates to maternal health, pregnancy, nutrition, physical activity, family planning, and psychosocial wellbeing. The Pregnancy School operating within Farabi Hospital provided education and counselling services in 2025 to pregnant women not only from Trabzon but also from other provinces in the region. The programme particularly supports women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. Expectant mothers receive education on nutrition, exercise, preparation for childbirth, coping with labour pain, the postpartum period, newborn care, and breastfeeding, delivered by a multidisciplinary team including specialist midwives, obstetricians and gynaecologists, dietitians, physiotherapists, and psychologists. The programme seeks to reduce anxiety and fear associated with childbirth, strengthen women’s confidence in their own bodies, improve their physical and psychological wellbeing, and contribute to healthier mothers and future generations.
Evidence: https://ktu.edu.tr/gebeokulu/egitim-programi-ve-icerigi
The official curriculum of the Pregnancy School explicitly includes nutrition during pregnancy, physical activity and exercise during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care, breastfeeding, newborn care, and family planning. Training is provided in both theoretical and practical formats in group settings. Pregnant women may participate regardless of their stage of pregnancy, and prospective fathers may also attend the programme if they wish. These services therefore directly address several dimensions specifically identified under the Health Outreach Programmes indicator: nutrition, exercise, family planning, maternal health, and general wellbeing.
The continuation and active implementation of these services during 2025 is also demonstrated through University activities relating to maternal and infant health. The Pregnancy School continued to provide information and support addressing the physical and psychological needs of mothers, as well as education on breastfeeding and appropriate health practices during pregnancy. These activities show that maternal health outreach at our University constitutes an ongoing community service rather than an isolated awareness event.
Our University also undertook community-based activities relating to healthy ageing, social wellbeing, and student engagement with older people. Nursing students visited the Trabzon Nursing Home Elderly Care and Rehabilitation Centre as part of their Public Health Nursing practice, gaining first-hand experience of elderly care services and the functioning of institutional care settings. Student involvement in these visits also contributed to interaction with and social support for older adults. Such activities demonstrate that the University’s conception of health and wellbeing extends beyond physical health to encompass the social and psychological wellbeing of older people and provides students with opportunities to combine professional learning with community engagement.
Evidence: https://www.ktu.edu.tr/sbfhemsirelik/haber/hemsirelik-bolumu-ogrencilerinin-huzurevi-ziyareti
Taken together, these activities demonstrate that our University implemented systematic and multidimensional health and wellbeing outreach programmes for the local community throughout 2025. These programmes ranged from public health education and blood-pressure screening reaching approximately 700 people in a major public shopping centre, to nutrition education for families of children with special needs; oral and dental health screenings in special education settings; practical hand hygiene education for patients, relatives, and members of the public; student-supported organ donation awareness activities; education for expectant mothers on nutrition, exercise, breastfeeding, newborn care, and family planning; and community engagement activities supporting the wellbeing of older people.
Accordingly, our University’s 2025 activities contributed to the promotion of preventive healthcare, early diagnosis and screening, improvement of health literacy, promotion of healthy nutrition, increased awareness of hygiene and infection prevention, strengthening of maternal and child health, promotion of physical activity and exercise, provision of reliable information on family planning, extension of oral and dental healthcare to disadvantaged groups, increased public awareness of organ donation, and integration of student participation and social responsibility with community health promotion. The breadth, direct community reach, and practical implementation of these programmes provide strong evidence that our University fulfils the “Health Outreach Programmes” indicator through institutional activities that directly contribute to improving health and wellbeing in the local community.
