Comprehensive tobacco legislation coming
COMPREHENSIVE TOBACCO legislation is coming next year, noted Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton. He said that the law will, among other things, restrict tobacco companies from advertising in certain settings.
“It will require greater warning labels, which will do a number of things to get consumers clear in their minds what the consequences of consuming tobacco would be,” the minister said while addressing the Lions Club of Kingston luncheon at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday.
Dr Tufton reiterated his call for Jamaicans to take responsibility for their health and well-being by improving the lifestyle choices they make.
“The ultimate prescription to address prevention is for persons to take responsibility for themselves and to adjust their lifestyles, their activities, their behaviour, in keeping with proper health and wellness practices,” he said.
He re-emphasised the need for persons to engage in regular physical activity and eat a balanced diet in order to prevent and combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also called lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
“Jamaicans are increasingly at a greater risk of being obese or overweight, the consequences of which are lifestyle diseases that are ultimately causing their demise. Indeed, over 70 per cent of deaths each year are accountable to lifestyle-related diseases,” he noted.
Dr Tufton cited data from the latest Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey, which show that one in three Jamaicans is hypertensive. It further reveals that one in two Jamaicans is overweight/obese; and one in eight persons is suffering from diabetes.