A CARIBBEAN APPEAL
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are literally killing us early. NCDs have been estimated to be responsible for 8 out of 10 deaths in Barbados and they are esti-mated to account for 60% of the country’s health expenditure. The economic cost of NCDs here has reached over $ 209 million annually.
Obesity increases the likelihood of developing NCDs. World Obesity Day was re-cently observed on March 4th, with little fanfare, in contrast to the daily reports as a result of the devastating pandemic of COVID-19 which has been ongoing for more than a year.
The World Health Organisation has warned that childhood obesity is one of the “most serious global challenges of the 21st century”. Being overweight and obesity go hand in hand, and it is estimated that by the year 2030, 50% of this region’s chil-dren are expected to be overweight or obese, with all of its social and health impli-cations.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados Inc. remains at the forefront in its effort towards creating awareness of the value of prevention being better than cure for the NCDS and is a very active member of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition of Barbados.
A recent open letter to the people of the Caribbean, signed by a number of re-gional paediatricians, and supported by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), submitted a letter stating they’re “deeply concerned about the health and wellness of our region’s children and young people”. They have re-emphasised a call for programmes to tackle possible mental health issues created by lack of social activities as a result of COVID-19.
Their concerns were raised relating to several pertinent observations which were made after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing that the lives of our children and young people are in a state of turmoil; the way that they learn, socialise, play, eat, move and sleep has changed, and these changes are having a substantial impact in a negative way, on their physical and mental health.
The group believes that we are on the cusp of a regional childhood obesity and mental health emergency. The statement said that more children and young people are eating more and moving less.
“Many children are consuming excessive empty calories while attending online school from home. In some cases, they are exposed to unstructured eating and of-tentimes unrestricted access to foods, leading to overconsumption of foods high in salt, sugar-sweetened beverages and fat”.
“In addition, the shift to online schooling coupled with pandemicrelated re-strictions have resulted in the reduction or elimination of physical education, ex-tracurricular activities, reduced recreational playtime and significant jumps in screen time. These behaviours have likely exacerbated the childhood overweight and obesi-ty crisis.”
They referred to more and more children and young people presenting with be-ing overweight and obesity and have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, hyper-tension, musculoskeletal issues, and other endocrine conditions, since the pandem-ic.
“COVID-19 control measures and related economic and food security challenges, including interruptions in national school meal programmes, have resulted in child-hood under-nutrition across the region.”
The pandemic’s exacerbation of poor diets and physical inactivity, accompanied by an alarming rise in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, tic disorders, disrupted sleeping and disordered eating behaviours heralding potential eating dis-orders among children and young people, were referred to in the statement.
The letter said “this silent mental health crisis can no longer be overlooked” and called for the creation of safe spaces to “listen to their concerns and not disregard them”. COVID -19 has shed a light on the need for more structured, schoolbased and community-based mental health services across the region, in particular, appropri-ate services to support the unique mental health needs of children and young peo-ple.”
“…As we continue to navigate global changes, we must find the regional strength to address the impact of the pandemic on our children and youth; specifically, the adverse effects on their mental health, access to equitable education as well as nu-trition and rates of physical activity.
“The opportunity is now, for us to be proactive and systematic to support child and adolescent health, to secure a resilience, productive and positive Caribbean fu-ture,” the regional message declared.
The group further stated that the impact of the sustained economic, social and mental stresses on children and young people is yet to be understood.
“We cannot afford to wait until ‘things get back to normal’ and assume that our children and young people will emerge as ‘resilient’ creatures or that the damage caused to them during the pandemic can be undone.
“We must come together now to address this regional childhood obesity, under-nutrition, and mental health emergency. If we allow levels of malnutrition to con-tinue to rise unchecked, we are assigning an entire generation to a life living with NCDs and other health complications. If we do not address their mental health, we run the very real risk of developing lasting scars that could impact their growth, future productivity and quality of life.
“We can and need to put measures in place to mitigate this crisis and a whole of society approach will be critical – everyone has to act now.”
The coalition has asked governments to prioritise strong policies that protect the health of our children and young people including: front of package nutrition warn-ing labelling; and banning the marketing and sale of unhealthy products in and around schools while simultaneously ensuring that children have ongoing access to fruits and vegetables.
They said within the community, there also needs to be a greater investment in mental health services and parenting programmes need to be developed or expand-ed to ensure that children from vulnerable families get the appropriate support and protection needed.
As a member of the professional group, the writer of this Better Health article stated: “. . . Now more than ever, we need to act urgently. We have to move quickly to put people before profits and implement strong nutrition policies and mental health support systems to support our children and young people. As a society, it is our re-sponsibility.”
The paediatricians’ letter called on the private sector to be partners in supporting ongoing efforts to shape healthy environments, particularly involving halting tar-geted marketing of unhealthy products on digital platforms, especially now, when children are spending inordinate amounts of time on screens.
M Anne St John GCM MB BS (UWI) FAAP FRCPC Medical Director, Youth Programmes, HSFB She is also an Hon Professor, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Child Health UWI (Cave Hill Campus), and an Hon Consultant, Department of Paediatrics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados.
