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Contacts

Bird Rock, St Kitts, St Kitts and Nevis, West Indies

info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com

+1 869 765 8702

Author: admin
GMSKN
BlogNewsYou're Sweet Enough
April 7, 2022

We Were on GMSKN

On Tuesday 5th April,  our Creative Director, Oyehmi Begho, and our Advocacy and Research Officer, Isalean Phillip, joined the hosts of Good Morning St. Kitts and Nevis to discuss our animation, Meet the Willbuts.

Meet the Willbuts was recently shortlisted for the WHO Health for All Film Festival in the very short film category for conveying messages about NCDs and the need for families to improve their diets for better health outcomes.

Our submission was recognised out of over 1000 submissions from 110 countries and we are just so proud of this achievement. So, we were very happy to join the Good Morning St. Kitts and Nevis team to discuss the animation, its message and the future of our You’re Sweet Enough campaign. 

By admin
CSO Health Advocacy Workshop Flyer 2022
BlogYou're Sweet Enough
April 5, 2022

Strengthening Civil Society’s Role in Health Advocacy

The World Bank describes civil society as “the wide array of non-governmental and not for profit organizations that have a presence in public life, express the interests and values of their members and others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations.”

The Role and Impact of Civil Society

Based on this definition, civil society organisations (CSOs) play an important role in ensuring that Governments and the private sector act in the best interest of the public and this involves advocating for policies and actions that benefit society.

In public health, civil society organisations from across the world have a long history of successfully advocating on behalf of patients for better care and treatment, and to reduce health inequalities. For example, Cancer Research UK and other cancer charities in the UK have consistently advocated for improvements to the cancer diagnosis pathway leading to a more streamlined and structured pathway that aims to reduce delays in diagnosis and thus reduce cancer mortality.

Additionally, CSOs have fought for the introduction of policies that have improved the health of the public and prevented and controlled diseases.  For example, the tobacco control policies that have been implemented throughout the world leading to a reduction in the public’s exposure to tobacco and second-hand smoke leading to reduced rates of tobacco-related illnesses. 

Civil Society in Small Island Developing States

In countries such as the UK and US, the CSO environment is a very strong and cohesive one with a variety of organisations advocating for change, having a positive influence on the development and implementation of effective health policies, forming strategic alliances to bring about change and implementing effective advocacy campaigns.  Conversely, in many countries, such as here in the Caribbean region, CSOs, because of the small size of our countries and lack of resources, face many challenges when advocating for change and this leaves the public, patients and vulnerable communities without organisations who can effectively advocate on their behalf or hold Governments and the private sector accountable.

Building a Strong Civil Society Sector

With this in mind, we have started a series of capacity-building webinars aimed at CSOs in St Kitts and Nevis with the aim of strengthening the sector. Our overall goal is to build up this sector, empower organisations and thus create an environment where organisations can work collaboratively to advocate for the changes that are required to tackle the major public health challenges that our country faces.

Our first capacity-building event was an online workshop on strengthening civil society’s role in health advocacy and this event was held over two days – on 25th February and 25th March 2022. The first session focused on how to develop and implement successful health-related advocacy campaigns and featured the following speakers and presentations:

In the second session, we explored how to monitor and evaluate advocacy campaigns and looked at the successes of advocates from across the world using sugar-sweetened beverages as a case study. During this session attendees heard from:

  • Dr Shelly Trim, Development Coordination Officer, Data Management & Results Monitoring/Reporting, Office of the UN Resident Coordinator – Measuring Success: The Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation
  • Maisha Hutton, Executive Director, Healthy Caribbean Coalition – The Need for Action on SSBs in the Caribbean
  • Shirley Ewang, Advocacy & External Engagement Specialist, Gatefield Impact– Lessons Learnt: The Role of Civil Society in the Introduction of an SSB Tax in Nigeria
  • Dr Marissa Carty, NCD Coordinator,  Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Health – Developing a Federal SSB Policy for St. Kitts and Nevis

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Through this first two-part workshop, we were able to bring civil society organisations together  to build their capacity so that together we can more effectively advocate for the evidence-based policies that St Kitts and Nevis needs to improve the public’s health. 

Conclusion

Capacity-building is a useful first step in building a strong civil society sector, but we recognize that strengthening this sector requires more than just capacity-building; it requires a commitment from decision-makers to transform the sector from an informal, voluntary sector to a dynamic, sustainable sector that becomes a viable career option for those wanting to make a difference in society. To support this transition requires an investment of time, funding and resources; these investments are more than worth it because of the many benefits that CSOs can bring to the health, development and economy of a country.

By admin
MeetTheWillbutsCover
BlogNewsYou're Sweet Enough
April 4, 2022

Our Animation in the News

We were absolutely delighted that our recent achievement of being shortlisted for the World Health Organisation Health for All Film Festival was featured on the ZIZ News on 1st April 2022. 

We’d like to say a big thank you to ZIZ for this feature and if you missed it, you can watch it in the clip below. 

By admin
Womb Wellness (3) (Web)
Women's Health
April 2, 2022

International Women’s Day Webinar

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day was ‘Break the Bias,’ and organisers asked us all to imagine a world that is free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination and built on equity and inclusivity. A world where women have full access to opportunities, information and the freedom to define their own success.

When it comes to women’s health issues like fibroids, endometriosis and PCOS, many biases exist, such as: these conditions are “not that bad”, “not really that painful” and “not a public health priority.”  These biases have left women with subpar treatment options, a lack of information to make informed choices about their health and a lack of appropriate support.  As we neared International Women’s Day, one of this year’s missions reminded us to stand up and address these health-related biases so that women are empowered and can take control of their health. Therefore, in recognition of International Women’s Day, we hosted a virtual womb wellness presentation with guest speaker, Dr Keriise Manchester, an obstetrician and gynaecologist in St. Kitts and Nevis and founder of Manchester Medical.

Our womb wellness session was aimed at women in St. Kitts and Nevis and focused on providing women with information and guidance on what they need to know about their womb health.  Dr Manchester provided a very comprehensive presentation exploring womb wellness throughout a women’s life course from childhood to the post-menopausal stage. The session was accessible in the way it was presented, informative and empowering and we would like to thank Dr Manchester for being a guest speaker for this session and sharing her expertise.

There is still a lot of stigma and sensitivity around the challenges that women may face with their womb health and we hope that this session provided a safe space where women could learn about an important health issue and made them feel more comfortable about talking about these issues so that they are can be addressed and treated promptly.

If you missed this session, you can watch the recording below and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send us an email.

 

By admin
MeetTheWillbutsCover
BlogDietNewsYou're Sweet Enough
March 30, 2022

We’ve Been Shortlisted for WHO Film Festival

Meet the Willbuts, a short animation depicting how sugar-sweetened beverages and an unhealthy diet impact a typical Caribbean family, has been shortlisted for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Health for All Film Festival.

The WHO Health for All Film Festival is held annually to demonstrate how creative media is being mobilised for health promotion and education. The festival invites submissions from patients, health workers, health activists, NGOs, public institutions and professional filmmakers of short films on a wide range of health-related topics, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, disability, and communicable diseases as well as environmental and social determinants of health, such as gender-based violence, road safety and pollution.

Meet the Willbuts was submitted by Lake Health and Wellbeing, a public health NGO in St. Kitts and Nevis. The animation was shortlisted under the very short film category for conveying messages about NCDs and the need for families to improve their diets for better health outcomes. Lake Health and Wellbeing’s submission was recognised out of over 1000 submissions from 110 countries – a major achievement that places St. Kitts and Nevis on the global stage for health promotion and education.

The winners will be announced in May; in the meantime, WHO is encouraging the public to get involved by selecting a film that they would like to champion and then commenting on its story or topic before May 10, 2022. Comments can be posted on social media using the hashtag #Film4Health or through the WHO’s YouTube playlists available on the festival’s website. Some comments from the public will be featured during the Health for All Film Festival’s virtual awards ceremony in mid-May.

Meet the Willbuts was produced as part of Lake Health and Wellbeing’s You’re Sweet Enough campaign which aims to tackle the high rate of non-communicable diseases locally and regionally by encouraging the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Specifically, the campaign focuses on encouraging the public to reduce their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and consume water instead.

Dr Fanta Waterman, a board member of Lake Health and Wellbeing, said:

“With campaigns like You’re Sweet Enough, Lake Health and Wellbeing continuously demonstrates its commitment to making health literacy accessible, actionable and fun for all. This will only help to improve the health outcomes of people living in this region – and now, globally! I am so proud to be affiliated with this organisation and am glad many others will get to see this animation about how to maintain one’s health.”

Maisha Hutton, Executive Director of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, stated that:

“We’re extremely delighted that one of our civil society members has been shortlisted for the WHO Health for All Film Festival. This highlights that civil society can occupy the tech-innovation space to reach the public with important public health messages. This is a major achievement for the Caribbean and showcases the talent and creativity that exists in our region.”

Finally, one of Lake Health and Wellbeing’s main project partners, the Ministry of Health, said:

“The Ministry of Health is grateful for the partnership cultivated with Lake Health and Wellbeing as one of the leading organisations dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of our local, regional and now global community. The You’re Sweet Enough campaign has generated conversations regarding healthy drinking and the importance of consuming adequate water. As a civil society organisation, their aim is to contribute to the improvement of public health. Therefore, their positive influence is having a profound impact on the healthy decisions made by members of our society.”

By admin
World Obesity Day Image
Childhood ObesityObesityYou're Sweet Enough
March 9, 2022

World Obesity Day Activities

Every year, the 4th March is set aside as World Obesity Day and this year the theme was ‘Everybody Needs to Act.’

Obesity is defined by the World Health Organisation as ‘abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.’ Today, obesity is one of the major global health challenges that we face with 800 million people across the world being affected. Those affected by obesity are at an increased risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease and hypertension and it can also negatively impact mental health.  Additionally, obesity itself is seen as a non-communicable disease.

The cause of obesity is multi-faceted and complex. A variety of factors such as genetic risk, biology, an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, mental health and the environment all contribute to the development of obesity. Therefore, to tackle obesity a comprehensive, all-of-society approach is required i.e. ‘Everybody Needs to Act’

In St. Kitts and Nevis, we have not escaped the reach of obesity. Like many Caribbean countries our obesity rates are high and one of the highest in the world. Research has shown that 45% of adults and 26% of children in St Kitts and Nevis are obese, and this is contributing to the high rate of NCDs in the Federation. Sadly, data shows that NCDs contribute to 63% of deaths in St Kitts and Nevis and 83% of hospitalisations. To improve the health of our nation action is required and, therefore, on World Obesity Day, led by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, we joined civil society organisations from across the region to call on Caribbean leaders to introduce evidence-based healthy food policies. These include:

  • Front of package warning labels which easily alert consumers to foods that are high in salt, sugar, saturated fat and trans fat
  • A tax of at least 20% on sugar-sweetened beverages to deter the purchase of these drinks
  • The restriction of the sale and marketing of unhealthy foods in and around schools

These policies have been shown to facilitate healthy behaviours and contribute to the creation of a healthy food environment, in short, these policies make it easy for the public to be healthy.

Also, as part of World Obesity Day, we hosted a childhood obesity webinar entitled ‘Community-Based Approaches to Tackling Childhood Obesity.’ This webinar aimed to showcase the work of CSOs in St Kitts and Nevis and explore the lessons we can learn from these efforts. Featured in this webinar were:

  • Lessons Learnt from Nevis Academy’s No Sugar Challenge – Dr Andrea Bussue, Principal of the Nevis Academy Primary school
  • Improving the health of children through medical education – Ifeanyi Ndukwu, President, Because We Care
  • Rotarians Tackling Childhood Obesity – Dominic Matthew, Rotary Club of Liamuiga
  • Nutrition for School-Aged Children – Renell Daniel, Public Health Nutritionist
  • Lessons Learnt from the Diabetic Screening of School Children – Dr  Reginald O’Loughlin,  Public Relations Officer, St Kitts Diabetes Association
  • Advocating for Evidence-Based Health Policies, Isalean Phillip, Advocacy Officer, Lake Health and Wellbeing

This was a very informative event that highlighted the important role that civil society plays in tackling important public health issues. If you missed this event, you can watch the recording below. 

 

By admin
WPA LHW Image
News
March 8, 2022

We Become A Member of the WPA

 We’re delighted to announce that we are now a member of the World Patients Alliance and thus join over 300 organisations aiming to ensure that patients have access to safe, high quality and affordable healthcare.

About the World Patients Alliance

The World Patients Alliance is the umbrella organisation of patients and patients’ organisation around the globe. The Alliance provides a platform to empower and raise the patients’ voice and ensure that patients have an active role to play in all stages of healthcare and that includes planning, provision, monitoring, research and evaluation of health services. The Alliance represents patients from all world regions and across all disease areas.

The Alliance was founded on the following key principles:

Access to healthcare:
Every patient should have access to healthcare that includes timely, effective, affordable, optimal, and innovative treatments for their condition.

Patient centered healthcare:
Patients and healthcare providers must work in partnership to ensure the patient’s individual specific health needs and desired health outcomes are the focus for all healthcare decisions including physical, emotional, psycho-social, and economic aspects.

Financial hardship:
Patients should have health coverage options that provide them with health care while protecting them from financial hardship.

Empowered patients:
Patients should be supported and empowered to express their needs, concerns, and preferences and provided with the opportunity to have a voice in the decision making of their treatments

Patient safety and quality:
Patients should be provided with treatments that are safe, high quality and appropriately monitored

Patient education and information:
Stakeholders should ensure patients are educated in understandable and accessible ways about their condition and treatment options. They must be provided with information that is simple, relevant and comprehensive.

Partnership and collaboration:
Patients should partner and collaborate with all stakeholders for the provision and access to safe, quality, and affordable healthcare.

Patient engagement:
Patients should be supported and provided the opportunity to be engaged at all levels of decision making concerning their healthcare.

No discrimination:
Patients seeking care must not be discriminated against on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, income, health status, education, geographic location, legal status or other similar factors.

We’re delighted to be a member of the WPA and are looking forward to being a part of this new and growing network of organisations.  You can find out more about the WPA by visiting their website or Facebook or Twitter pages

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By admin
LegendaryTalkShow
BlogNewsYou're Sweet Enough
February 19, 2022

We Were on the Legendary Talk Show

On 16th Feb 2022, our Advocacy and Research Officer, Isalean Phillip, was the featured guest on the Legendary Talk Show on Nevis’ 2020 Vision Radio.

During this interview Isalean discussed NCDs, our You’re Sweet Enough campaign and many other interesting topics. 

If you missed this interview, you can listen to the recording by clicking on the picture below. 

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By admin
Tyrrell Williams
BlogYou're Sweet Enough
February 8, 2022

Dance Competition Prize Giving

As part of our You’re Sweet Enough campaign, we hosted a virtual dance competition and last week, we had a great time presenting the winners of the competition with their prizes.

It was so rewarding to not only see the excitement of all the children as they received their prizes but to also hear them singing our jingle and remembering the core message of our campaign.

We are very grateful to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine for their generous donation of laptops, tablets, projects and watercoolers as prizes. The kids loved them! Additionally, we would like to thank the Curriculum Development Unit at the Ministry of Education for partnering with us for this fun and engaging campaign activity.

Congratulations to all our winners. You did a great job!.

By admin
Alcohol
Diet
January 29, 2022

No Amount of Alcohol is Good For Us

Many of us grew up with the notion that a small amount of red wine is good for the heart and can decrease our risk of developing heart disease, but a new policy brief published by the World Heart Federation  (WHF) has corrected this myth.

In their brief, the WHF highlights the mounting evidence that has led to the fairly recent conclusion by global health researchers and the World Health Organisation that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption; any level of alcohol consumption affects our health.  

In recent years, researchers have shown that alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, digestive diseases, and intentional and unintentional injuries and some communicable diseases. Additionally, consuming even small amounts of alcohol can increase our risk of stroke, heart failure, coronary disease and other cardiovascular diseases.

If alcohol is so harmful to our health, then how did many of us come to believe that alcohol is beneficial to the health of our heart? The WHF’s policy brief explains that over the past thirty years some researchers, the alcohol industry and the media have been aggressively promoting the misleading message that alcohol can prolong life by reducing our risk of cardiovascular disease, with them pushing that red wine, in particular, is a heart-healthy beverage because of its resveratrol content and other alcoholic beverages are heart-healthy because of their high-density lipoprotein ( HDL) content. The WHF policy brief explains that these claims have now been refuted with high-quality research that shows the many negative health outcomes of consuming any amount of alcohol.

As part of their policy brief the WHF is calling for stricter alcohol restrictions and are specifically recommending the following with regards to advocating for change:

  • Advocate for the adoption of WHO’s SAFER Guidelines
  • Call for strict regulation of alcohol products
  • Advocate for minimum pricing of alcohol products
  • Build capacity internally and among peers to promote cessation of alcohol use and abstinence from alcohol
  • Promote community, national, and global best practices and materials, such as the PAHO “Live better, drink less” campaign, and advocate for their uptake
  • Communicate evidence on the harms of alcohol use, including the clear messages that no level of alcohol is safe and alcohol consumption increases the risk of CVD
  • Prioritise alcohol control in national agendas for health and support policy coherence between health and other sectors
  • Facilitate screening for the use of alcohol and other substances as a part of risk mitigation during the health assessment of individuals visiting a health care centre
  • Set the example of non-collaboration with the alcohol industry and/or its public relations groups.

We applaud the WHF on publishing this policy brief and dispelling a very pervasive and harmful myth about alcohol. We hope that everyone – policymakers and the public- acts on this information and works towards eliminating the consumption of alcohol.  From our point of view, we encourage  healthy drinking and recommend that everyone select water as their drink of choice and both reduce their sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and abstain from alcohol.

For more information, you can read the WHF policy brief here  and you can find out about our healthy drinking campaign, You’re Sweet Enough here.

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By admin