SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Many shoppers at the Eastern Shore Centre came by the Sharper Image store Friday to check out the centre’s first Health and Wellness Expo. Vendors inside and outside the store promoted healthy lifestyles.

“With over 42 companies participating in our very first Health and Wellness Expo, the event was a success and proved there is a need to help get the word out to educate our community,” Kristen Kammer-Hattox, marketing director for the Eastern Shore Centre, said.

Also Friday, some of South Baldwin Regional Medical Center’s registered nurses demonstrated car seat safety and explained why it is important to have a car seat certified. 

“We want to check as many car seats as we can,” Amy England, a registered nurse at South Baldwin, said. “We want to make sure these kids are safe.”

The nurses also promoted the Whale program, short for We Have A Little Emergency. The program caters to those drivers with children who, in a vehicle accident, may lose consciousness and forget their children’s medical history.

Under the program, a sticker is placed on the car’s front wind shield and an identification card is placed on the side of the child’s safety seat. When first responders arrive, they can look for the Whale sticker on the windshield — and then know to look on the car seat for the card with the child’s name, which they can use to comfort the child after the accident, according to a pamphlet. North Baldwin Infirmary also was on hand, and gave free bone density screenings.

“I had no idea my bones could be checked like this,” Marie Flowers, of Silverhill, said. “They sure are coming up with everything these days.”

“Diet and exercise are the most important things to help prevent osteoporosis,” Debbie Stephens, registered nurse and clinical coordinator at North Baldwin, said. “That’s what it all comes down to.”

Jogging, walking and stair climbing are all good ways to strengthen bones to minimize the risk of osteoporosis. Women ages 25 to 50 should take in 1,000 milligrams of calcium and those over 50 should consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day, Stephens said.

Women with small bones, early menopause or hysterectomy, those who smoke or take in excessive amounts of caffeine should have a bone density scan between the ages of 40 and 45, Stephens said. Bone density screenings involve a brief scan that allows people to know if they are at risk of osteoporosis; however, people should see an OB/GYN for a complete bone density scan.

“I learned a lot here,” Laura Crane, of Daphne, said. “(It) makes me want to get healthy.”