Almost 2,000 Bermudians flocked to a fair aimed at helping them lead healthier lives yesterday.

The second annual Argus Health Fair, at Number One Shed, on Front Street, Hamilton, offered visitors free screenings to find out how they shaped up physically and gave advice on what to do to improve the chance of a long life.

Stalls featuring information on everything from asthma and alcohol awareness to physiotherapy, body piercing and breast screening attracted lots of attention.

But the biggest queues were for the free health screenings available ? those attending the fair could get their cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure taken, have their skin analysed for signs of sun damage, get a dental check, have their body fat measured and find out their fitness level.

Health Minister Patrice Minors officially opened the fair ? held on World Health Day ? at 11 a.m. by reminding Bermudians that a healthy workforce meant a healthy economy.

?If Bermuda is to maintain its competitive edge as an economy, we must keep our workers healthy,? she said. ?Many of the illnesses that affect Bermudians are preventable.

?The cost every time a worker is absent is not just the direct cost of their sickness payments but also the cost of their replacement by other workers and lower productivity for their employer as a whole.

?If Bermuda is going to continue to be a leading economic force, it is important that we all take a good look at ourselves and see if there is anything we can do to improve our health and wellbeing.?

She said the fair was about encouraging all Bermudians to assume responsibility for their health choices by educating them about disease prevention, wellness and the health resources available.

?The more you know about your health, the better equipped you will be to be healthy,? she added. ?If we each take small steps to improve our individual health, together we can take a giant step for the wellness of Bermuda as a whole.?

Cindy Campbell, executive vice president of Argus, the Island?s largest health insurer, said 1,500 people attended last year?s inaugural fair and more than 1,800 had visited shortly before the fair ended at 4 p.m. yesterday.

?We want to give the public the opportunity to get some free health screenings and the opportunity to see what health organisations are available to them.?

Catherine Burns, Argus? wellness manager and the Food for Thought columnist for , added: ?What we are trying to get people to do in Bermuda is to move away from a reactive approach to health care and get them to start being preventative.?

The fair was a joint initiative from Argus, Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) and the Department of Health. Charities represented included Age Concern; TB, Cancer and Health Association, Red Cross and Pride.

Venetta Symonds, acting chief executive officer of BHB, said healthcare expenditure in Bermuda reached $376 million in the last year.

?Over half of this expenditure could have been avoided had Bermudians made healthier lifestyle choices,? she said.