Check out the five-minute summary of our recent panel discussion on healthy drinking above.
The overconsumption of alcohol and sweet and sugary beverages and foods has become normalized around the happiest time of the year – the Christmas holidays and Sugar Mas carnival celebrations.
From bands offering alcoholic beverages within troupes to patrons purchasing at a younger age at signature carnival shows, the pervasive drinking culture is slowly killing us. This drinking culture is currently contributing to the increase of non-communicable diseases within our community – a crisis on the island and throughout the Caribbean region.
A Conversation Toward Change
To address this drinking culture entrenched in every level of the Federation, Lake Health and Wellbeing led a panel discussion on “Reimagining Carnival: Creating a Healthy Drinking Culture‘ with experts within key community sectors at the St. Kitts Marriott on December 3, 2022. This event was the first to be featured on the Sugar Mas event lineup and led by an NGO.
“When we think about the Carnival season, it’s an important historical, cultural, educational, and social activity that facilitates community cohesion, promotes the local economy and boosts tourism. Many aspects of Carnival are good for our society. Still, we must recognize that there are excesses of Carnival, particularly around unhealthy behaviours that are not so positive for our health. The overconsumption of alcohol and other unhealthy beverages harms our community and environmental health and safety; therefore, during [our panel discussion and health expo], we aimed to stimulate discussion on reimagining Carnival to create a healthy drinking culture,” Abi Begho, Director of Program Management, Lake Health, and Wellbeing.
The two-hour multi-sector conversation included insights from Dr. Merisa Grant-Tate, Medical Oncologist; Mrs. Karimu Byron-Caines, Director of the St. Kitts-Nevis National Council on Drug Abuse Prevention Secretariat; Dr. Al Pierre, St. Kitts and Nevis Medical and Dental Association and Superintendent Cromwell Henry, Royal St. Christopher-Nevis Force.
A Cost Too High for Our Communities
The tradition of drinking comes at a cost. People who drink excessively are at a higher risk of assaults, injuries, and non-communicable diseases like cancer, depression, stroke, and heart disease. And while persons are living longer with non-communicable diseases, the quality of their lives has decreased significantly.
Key Takeaways
- Conversations around the drinking culture on the island can be uncomfortable. Still, they are necessary as alcohol use leads to preventable deaths and is one of the four major risk factors for NCDs.
- More and more young persons are engaged in excessive drinking around community and school events.
- Parents play a role in shaping children’s attitudes and behaviours toward alcohol.
- There is room for greater regulation and enforcement of alcohol taxes and laws prohibiting sales to young persons.
- All alcoholic drinks are linked to cancer; the more a person drinks, the higher their cancer risk.
- A range of school and community-based interventions are critical to delay the onset of alcohol use and to target alcohol abuse.
- It takes a multi-sector approach to address the NCD crisis on the island. This includes involvement by the Government, NGOs, businesses and community members and groups.
Showcasing Healthy Vendors
Following the panel discussion was an intimate showcase of local vendors who produce and supply healthy lifestyle products and services. Local vendors, including Gifted Roots, In Ya Kitchen, Plantistique and Sugartown Organics, were highlighted at the expo, each covering healthy food and beverage options, and health-focused services.
Recording
If you missed this event, you can watch the full recording below and a five-minute summary at the top of this page.
