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| Deborah Chen Executive Director Heart Foundation of Jamaica. |
The Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey 2016-2017 reports that one out of two Jamaicans aged 15 and older are overweight/obese (54%).
Childhood obesity has increased by 68.3% in seven years with 3 out of 10 of our children aged 13-17 being overweight/obese, and rates that are almost doubling for boys. It is thus imperative to lay utmost importance on prevention of obesity in children and herald its progress.
Living in the era of COVID-19 has shown how damaging its effects can be, especially for persons already battling with chronic diseases. It is expected that these trends have been exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years. Studies have shown that being overweight or obese increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Unhealthy diets are a major risk factor contributing to the high rates of obesity and NCDs in the Caribbean, and are fueled by the widespread availability and consumption of unhealthy products containing high levels of “critical nutrients”, namely sugars, total fats, saturated fats, trans fats and sodium.
A Jamaican study done in 2021 indicated that 80% of Jamaicans aged 12-71 years gained weight during the pandemic. The study also reported more dependence on unhealthy foods (62.7%) and a reduction in physical activity levels from 80% to 73.3%.
Energy dense, low nutrient food and beverages have become more accessible, especially in these times, making them far more appealing than their healthier counterparts. Jamaicans are less equipped to make informed choices, making it even more important to concentrate on population-based policies. There is no single solution and we urge local policymakers to act by taking an evidence-based approach to equip Jamaicans with the necessary tools to make more informed choices; a front-of-package labelling policy coupled with nutrition policies and programmes in schools to improve the school food environment and policies to encourage consumption of water in lieu of sugar-sweetened beverages.
World Obesity Day highlights the need for action and the role everyone can play in reducing obesity. With increasing awareness of obesity impacts on health, finances, and Jamaica at large, it has come to the forefront for development of health policies to address the challenges associated with obesity. The need for better strategies and novel policy interventions to manage obesity is critical. This World Obesity Day, the Heart Foundation of Jamaica calls on all governments, health service providers, insurers and philanthropic organisations to prioritise investment in tackling obesity. This means investment in obesity prevention support services and early intervention as part of the plans to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 3.4, ‘ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.’
Concerted action is needed from governments to set the agenda and lead a multi-sector response to develop and implement evidence-based policies to create healthier food and activity environments for Jamaica and break the barriers to healthy eating and physical activity.
As we focus on the health harms associated with being overweight/obese let us all take on the challenge to begin leading healthier happier lives and act by choosing healthier diets, reducing stress and committing to at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily.
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3 comments:
WE.whpnis the WE celebrating? who even knew this,day existed?
Thanks to this blog. Now you are aware on this day. :)
In todays world we drive to work we sit at our desk, we take taxis for just afew meters, we reach home we relax before the electronic devices,our kids no longer play physically they now play electronically hense we are where we are, how can we as a society reverse this trend? We have to go back to basics, one of the way we can is to put away our devices for a set time each day each week, eat more plant base diet etc.
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