In a bid to combat rising childhood obesity rates, the Ministry of Health has unveiled an innovative obstacle course at the Luther Thorne Memorial School.
The initiative, part of the ministry’s Creative Play programme and supported by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), aims to encourage more active play and help curb the alarming trend of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Barbadian youth.
At the initiative’s launch at the Wildey school, PAHO advisor for NCDs and Mental Health Dr Taraleen Malcolm said the organisation was pleased to partner with the ministry to provide fun obstacle courses for students to keep them active.
Dr Malcolm said: “As part of the WHO’s Stop Obesity initiative, we really want to find creative ways to get children to be a lot more active. We know that kids nowadays are spending more time on their devices, on social media. So we want to have activities that will be fun, but at the same time really doing that physical activity.
“The WHO policy is for children to have at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. So by having initiatives like these, we are ensuring that they are getting at least this minimum activity while at the same time having fun doing it.”
Dr Malcolm explained that NCDs in the Caribbean cause the majority of premature adult deaths and pose a serious threat to health and development. Given these figures and the rising number of young people living with NCDs, active measures must be taken to rein in the issue.
She said: “Tackling obesity, especially among kids, is one of those strategies to help reduce NCDs. So we are very happy that we are able to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to make this possible.”
Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Davidson Ishmael emphasised that with NCDs having a significant impact on society, it is essential to implement health initiatives and programmes that promote healthier lifestyles among citizens.
“The truth is, is that we have a major issue with our NCDs in Barbados,” Ishmael said. “It is a significant challenge because it is not only a cost from the perspective of the healthcare bill, but it is also costing us in terms of premature deaths, and where persons are losing the ability to contribute to our society in a very productive way.
“There are statistics dating back to 2018 that show that of children between the ages of seven to 11, 28 per cent of them are actually overweight, and about 15 per cent of them are obese. These are very alarming statistics for us at the Ministry of Health and Wellness. That is why initiatives such as this one are well supported.” (SB)
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