It is shocking that the figures for non-communicable diseases (ncds) in “small” Barbados are similar to those of the United States, says a visiting lifestyle change expert and clinical professor.
Dr Hans Diehl, who works in the Department of Preventative Medicine at the School of Medicine of Loma Linda University, expressed that concern at a workshop for physicians and senior nursing staff at the Pan American Health Organization.
“The people can do more for themselves health-wise than any physician or drug. [Many] lifestyle diseases are related to lifestyle issues, what we eat, drink, smoke, exercise . . . . It [also] has to do with the mental attitude,” he said.
Diehl, who spoke on Chronic Diseases – Their Emergence, Escalation, Economic Costs And Health, said eating healthy was not as hard or as some may think, noting that processed foods tended to be more expensive. (LK)
