The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB) has the support of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy.
Kirk Humphrey, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy and champion of the Childhood Obesity Programme, gave his ministry’s commitment to assisting the programme in the areas of swimming, nutrition and the preparation of food from the ocean.
Humphrey was addressing children and their parents during an Advocacy Open Day at the Yute Gym, recently. He described the statistic of one in every three children being overweight as “staggering and frightening”, and noted that it was a situation that needed urgent attention.
“We have to find a way to drive home the message if we are going to create change,” he stated, while noting that children are the future.
The minister said he hoped children and young people became more involved in the process of being healthy. Earlier this year, Humphrey encouraged the children who were a part of the programme to make good use of the beaches for physical exercise and other wholesome activities. This was a challenge capitalised on by students who are members of the Yute Gym, as they recently completed a 12-week swim programme. (PR)
