... Multisectoral plan to promote healthy lifestyle habits

INFORMATION IN the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey II conducted by the National Health Fund and the University of the West Indies shows that obesity and age, coupled with poor lifestyle habits, are associated with increased rates of hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol in both males and females.

In response to this, the Government has embarked on an aggressive, multisectoral action plan in the fight against obesity by promoting healthy lifestyle habits.

Director of the Health Ministry’s Nutrition Unit, Sharmaine Edwards, said that the ministry is taking a multipronged approach to address the obesity epidemic by promoting exercise and healthy dietary choices.

In April, the ministry launched its ‘Jamaica Moves’ campaign to highlight the importance of physical activity for overall health. It encourages Jamaicans of all ages to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise for a minimum of five days per week for good health.

BENEFITS OF REGULAR EXERCISE

Regular exercise has many health benefits, including assisting in weight control, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, as well as strengthening and toning the body while promoting mental well-being.

Another initiative introduced by the Ministry is the Food Industry Task Force, which will make recommendations for healthy food options and support the State’s response to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“We are going to be looking at front-of-package labelling so that persons understand what they are putting into their bodies, because we don’t pay enough attention to that in terms of sugar, salt and fat. We want to engage the industry players to do some reformulation in reducing these levels of sugar, salt and fat or have an alternative so that persons have a choice. This is the dialogue that has begun,” she explained.

As it relates to the burgeoning local fast food industry, Edwards said the task force is in dialogue with restaurants and itinerant vendors operating cookshops to provide information on choices as well as to display the nutritional value of food served in these establishments. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries is being consulted in this regard.