There needs to be a zero tolerance approach in fighting the rising epidemic of overweight and obese children.
Director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Professor Anne St John, in a welcome address this morning at the Childhood Obesity Prevention Campaign Conference, said authorities and citizens must adopt a more serious approach to the health risk.
St John told those attending the conference at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre that overweight and obesity in children was becoming a significant problem that needed to be addressed.
“The escalating incidence of non-communicable diseases is having an adverse health impact on the children in the island, in particular overweight and obesity, this is resulting in this issue moving into the forefront and being one of significant concern to us in Barbados,” she said.
The paediatrician also appealed to those in attendance, especially those in schools to take a very serious look to decide to what extent conditions there were indirectly contributing to students obesity. (DB)
