Hundreds of Barbadians took to the streets yesterday, with Government and the private sector saying a recommended new wave of exercise can reduce the incidence of non-communicable diseases and trim absenteeism in the workplace.
The Walk The Talk campaign, launched yesterday, received high praise from Minister of Health John Boyce and private sector leaders.
In Independence Square, after taking part in his ministry’s coordinated World Health Day walk through Bridgetown, Boyce said the initiative to encourage workers in Barbados to walk in order to improve their health was a “very good” one.
The Walk The Talk is the initiative of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the Small Business Association (SBA) and the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC).
Boyce described Walk The Talk as “putting our feet where our mouth is and not talking only, but actually doing it”. He said if successful, the initiative, of which his ministry was a part, could reduce the overall cost of Barbados’ health care.
“This is a fitness activity and any time you are doing a fitness activity, it is going to help fight against the non-communicable diseases we are always referring to which are on the increase in Barbados and which we need to curtail.
“We need to continue having more activities like this in Barbados which will do a lot, not only for the business community, but also the health care sector,” he said.
About 500 employees from the ministry, the BCCI, the SBA and the BEC and their relatives, started the walk from Independence Square, along the Wickham-Lewis Boardwalk, onto Hincks Street, then along the Princess Alice Highway.
It continued on to Prescod Boulevard, President Kennedy Drive, Westbury Road, Tudor Street, Roebuck Street and Crumpton Street before ending in Independence Square.
Those taking part in the three-month campaign will wear a pedometer to track their progress. Participants are expected to take 1 000 steps each day.
Debra Blanchette told the SUNDAY SUN she was accustomed “to doing a lot of walking, so I didn’t feel the pull of this easy walk at all”.
She added: “I just hope that other people would get involved. To me a lot of people didn’t seem interested in this walk; I expected to see more people out today.”
Chairman of the initiative David Neilands explained that the “10 000 steps to wellness” was the first part of a health initiative that would continue.
“We have like 57 companies with 5 000 participants,” he said. “But it is not just about business houses; it is about people in the workforce and the idea is we are trying to improve workplace wellness.
“If we can get more people fitter and healthier, then productivity will increase in the workplace, absenteeism will be reduced and people will feel better about themselves.” (AH)
