EDITORIAL - Tackling obesity

Only this week, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kenneth George, pointed out that the diabetes epidemic in Barbados is linked to rising levels of obesity in the country, which is posing a concern to the Ministry of Health.

 

In spite of the many campaigns advocating healthy living and eating, many Barbadians continue to grapple with their weight. 

 

What should concern us as well is the matter of childhood obesity. A recent study carried out in four Caribbean countries found that 30 per cent of children ages 11 through 13 are overweight or obese. Reports from PAHO, the Pan American Health Organisation, suggest that the number of overweight and obese children in the region has more than doubled over the last decade, due primarily to unhealthy diets and inadequate exercise. 

 

PAHO officials have made it clear that the consequences of overweight and obesity in children are serious, including breathing difficulties, hypertension, early signs of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects. So we really should sit up and take notice.

 

Here in Barbados, a project will be taken to the schools to promote healthy eating and healthy living in general. The aim will be to make key interventions while the children are still young, to see them change their dietary habits and to get them on the move, so that they do not come down with chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) as they advance into adulthood. Indeed, this is commendable, but more needs to be done at the level of the home.

 

The issue really needs to be tackled at the household level, since children usually follow in the footsteps of the adults in charge. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that childhood obesity is a complex health issue, with the main causes of excess weight in youth being similar to those in adults, including individual causes such as behaviour and genetics. 

 

The CDC points out that behaviours can include dietary patterns, physical activity, inactivity, medication use, and other exposures. Additional contributing factors in society include the food and physical activity environment, education and skills, and food marketing and promotion.

 

Given the facts above, it is clear that each case would have to be weighed on its merit. What we know for sure, though, is that dietary habits are factoring into the equation in a big way, as a number of adults and children still opt for greasy, fatty foods before they select a dish of ground provisions, and many of them are opposed to eating vegetables on their own or in salads. Numerous persons are still consuming salty and sugary snacks as well as sodas, and with inactivity present, obesity is bound to step in.

 

Barbadians must take steps to protect and preserve their health and reduce the likelihood of developing heart disease, diabetes, strokes and other chronic non-communicable diseases, and if they can start by reducing their waistline and dropping some weight, then by all means, they should put in the work needed to achieve better results.