(photo taken from unsplash.com)
I know that I talked about Non-Communicable Diseases in a previous blog, but if you follow me you know I write for IMPACT. This seems to be a major concern lingering from as far as the early 2000s (who knows even before then).
Covid news now becoming a norm, the world is back to reporting on other serious issues. Outside of Trump getting the boot, guess what made its way back into mainstream news in Barbados? Another article about Barbados topping the charts with regards to Non-Communicable Diseases. I cannot help but think that we are our own demise. 'We' (and I use that term loosely) wanting 'better' for our children can be the leading cause of the consistent rise of NCDs within the nation. The children of today have privileges that contribute to their unhealthy lifestyle.
The government needs to do more. 'Stick a pin' there for a minute. In 2019, the government implemented a 10% tax on 'sugary' drinks, which saw a decrease in people buying them. Barbadians started to look for other alternatives such as water and non-sugar drinks. The question is: How long did this last?
Have you ever tried dieting in Barbados? It is expensive. It is cheaper to buy a complete meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken, than getting a bag of grapes and two apples. The fruit juices they are selling hardly have in fruit and if you want the 'real McCoy' you must spend the money.
It then comes as no surprise when Pan America Health Organisation (PAHO) statistics in 2019 revealed in Barbados two out of three adults are overweight and one out of three adults are obese. In children the obesity rate was 14.4%.
We are doing wrong by our children. Fast food which was once a treat for special occasions is now a weekly meal. The snacks and foods they sell in the canteens at these schools are the definition of unhealthy. In 2019 the Heart and Stroke Foundation held free workshops for canteen operators to aid them in providing healthier options to the schools. The problem is healthier equates to more expenses which would be passed down to the students. There can be an agreement between canteen operators and the Ministry of Agriculture, where the providers purchase local produce from local farmers at a reasonable price. This would be a win win situation.
The children are becoming lazier by the minute and who can blame them. In the 90s there was football, cricket and basketball. These are all outdoor sports. Now everything is done virtually. During this Covid period with the education system having to make changes, classes had to be cut and Physical education was one of them. That was the only form of exercise for most of these students.
In 2008 free bus fare was introduced for children in school uniform. Now we can students waiting at bus stops for sometimes over an hour for a bus to take them to a destination that is 15 minutes’ walk away.
This blog exists to hold people accountable. We as a community need to look for alternatives which promote health. It can be exercising, dieting and most importantly educating. It is scary to watch the NCDs consistently rise in a country that is known as the amputee capital of the world. Stop waiting on the government and let us see how we can implement change.
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