It’s Fibroids Awareness Month and in this episode of Sweet Talk we discuss the links between SSBs and women’s health conditions like PMS, PCOS, fibroids, painful periods and other hormonal health issues with certified wellness coach, Davina Baptiste.
July is Fibroids Awareness Month and we’re delighted to be hosting a series of webinars especially for women in St Kitts and Nevis. These events are aimed at informing and empowering women affected by fibroids by providing practical and useful guidance to enable women to take control of their health and wellbeing.
Our series includes three webinars focusing on diet, hormones, exercise and emotional wellbeing.
On 17th July, we were delighted to host a webinar on fibroids, diet and hormones. Led by Davina Baptiste, a Certified Wellness Coach, this webinar explored the role that hormones play in the development of fibroids and how by making simple changes to their diet, women with fibroids may be able to alleviate their symptoms and thus improve their health and wellbeing.
This was a very comprehensive and informative webinar and if you missed it, you can watch the recording below.
The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) hosted a virtual conference on July 1, 2021. The conference was packed with interesting and informative panel presentations that aligned with the conference theme “Our Food, Our Health, Our People: Accelerating Healthy Food Policies to Tackle NCDs”. Participants learned from academics, legal experts, public health officials, health practitioners, youth advocates, and representatives from the CARICOM NCD Commission, FAO, and PAHO. Sessions covered topics around shaping our Caribbean food supply systems for healthier environments, improving food system governance by managing conflicts of interest and shaping people-centered movements for change.
Even though it was a virtual conference, participants had the opportunity to interact online and to get moving at home during scheduled health breaks that incorporated music, dance and guided breathing and mindfulness exercises, all of which were helpful activities to stay focused throughout the day.
During the lunch break, Abi Begho, Director at Lake Health and Wellbeing, facilitated a lunchtime conversation about the power of digital advocacy for healthier food environments, based on lessons learned from implementing the You’re Sweet Enough campaign. Digital platforms like social media are increasingly being used by various stakeholders to reach the public. As civil society organizations, we are learning to adapt and find innovative ways to amplify messages that sensitize the public and call policymakers to action as we advocate for healthier food policies and programs. From the conversation, we learned how social media can be strategically leveraged to target different audiences, we see how short video clips and animations are powerful and effective at communicating key messages, and we are encouraged to be consistent in posting and sharing content so that the scope and reach of our advocacy can be extended and amplified.
Check out the video clip below to view the Lunchtime Conversation on the Power of Digital Advocacy.
As part of our You’re Sweet Enough campaign we hosted a virtual screening of the documentary The Secrets of Sugar. This documentary exposes research results that reveal the shocking truth about sugar that the sugar industry has been hiding from consumers. You can watch this documentary below:
Following the screening, our founder, Abi Begho, and our Advocacy and Research Officer, Isalean Phillip, had an engaging discussion about the issues raised in this documentary including the food and beverage industry’s role in the obesity crisis and approaches to reducing the public’s consumption of sugar.
We had a fun time partnering with In Ya Kitchen and the St. Kitts Health Promotion Unit to create some tasty, easy to make unsweetened beverages as part of our You’re Sweet Enough campaign.
Check out the videos below to learn how to make a Mango Mystique and a Monkey Chaser. Try them out and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
In an article written by the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Timothy Antoine, he explains how the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating food and nutrition insecurity across the Caribbean region. Food and nutrition security is not only about the sustainability of food supply systems, but it is also about food accessibility, price, safety and nutritional value. The article highlights the fact that the pandemic has further weakened vulnerable food systems in the region due to high levels of dependence on imported products from international food supply chains.
Antoine notes how the health impacts of the pandemic are particularly alarming since income losses are limiting households’ ability to purchase nutritious foods, which are vital for building healthy immune response to illnesses during the pandemic. Considering these economic challenges, the purchase and consumption of cheaper, ultra-processed foods that are high in sodium, sugar and fats has increased. Prior to the pandemic, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the region was already attributed to poor nutrition and unhealthy consumption choices, and within the current economic context, these unhealthy food alternatives are most accessible and affordable, especially for low-income households.
The article concludes with a call to action for Caribbean governments to reduce the regional food import bill and invest in cultivating an indigenous food supply ecosystem that enables trade of local produce by:
Acknowledging the public health challenges that the region faces with NCDs and the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerability of our food and nutrition systems, Governor Antoine encourages the adoption of an all of society approach to improving the health and sustainability of our people. Governments, private sector, civil society and individuals each have an important role to play in enhancing food and nutrition security as a primary approach to combatting the threat of non-communicable diseases and implementing meaningful long-term solutions for socio-economic transformation and sustainability.
To read the original article click here.
On Saturday 12 June 2021, we teamed up with Black History Walks to host a webinar entitled the Dangers of Sweetened Beverages in the African Diaspora. This event was part of Black History Walks’ event series in conjunction with the UCL Sarah Parker Remond Centre.
The webinar was moderated by Abi Begho, the Founder of Lake Health and Wellbeing and speakers included:
This event provided us with the opportunity to extend our reach beyond the shores of the Caribbean Sea and connect with the Caribbean community in the UK. This connection to the Caribbean is an important one because our communities have the same health concerns. In the Caribbean, we are faced with an NCD epidemic. PAHO reports that 78% of all deaths in the Caribbean are due to NCDs and 76% of all premature deaths are caused by these diseases1. The rates of NCDs across the Caribbean are high with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer and stroke being the most common NCDs. In the UK, the African diaspora community, which includes communities with connections to Africa and the Caribbean, face the same health challenges. The Black community in the UK, have higher rates of type 2 diabetes, some cancers and hypertension than their white counterparts2,3. Additionally, they are more likely to be diagnosed with these conditions at a later stage and therefore have poorer outcomes.
Some of the factors fuelling the high rates of NCDs on both sides of the Atlantic are physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, harmful use of alcohol and tobacco use. To tackle NCDs, we have to encourage behaviour change that encourages people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Through our You’re Sweet Enough campaign we’re focusing on one aspect of the public’s lifestyle, healthy drinking.
Research has shown that the food we eat and the drinks we consume contribute to increasing our risk of developing NCDs. Specifically, sweetened beverages (SBs). These types of drinks have been linked to unhealthy weight gain and obesity, which are associated with NCDs. This is because of their very high sugar content. Hence, our campaign encourages the public to reduce their consumption of SBs and to select water instead.
This webinar was part of our drive to educate the public about the harms of SBs. We also used this opportunity to highlight the challenges that the public health community faces when implementing strategies to reduce SB consumption and examples of successful approaches. This event was very well received by participants, with there being a high level of engagement throughout the event with the chat and Q&A being very lively.
We’d like to say a big thank you to Black History Walk and the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for giving us the opportunity to raise awareness of this important issue. We would also like to thank all those who attended and last, but definitely not least, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Francine Charles, Rachel Morrison and Isalean Phillip for their very informative presentations.
If you missed this event, you can watch the recording below.
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As we begin our work to support women in St Kitts and Nevis who have been affected by fibroids, it has been interesting to explore what is happening on the global scene. When we take a closer look, we see that there are organisations working tirelessly in their jurisdictions to highlight this neglected woman’s health issue.
Today, we’re going to look at Fibrome Info France’s campaign which was launched in March 2021. As part of this campaign, Fibrome Info France partnered with the Women’s Right Ministry in France to raise awareness of menstruation and fibroids. Their campaign aimed to use a variety of communication platforms to empower women with information about fibroids that would empower women to take control of their health. Their campaign focuses on the health and societal challenges associated with fibroids such as the huge burden fibroids place on women’s quality of life and women’s sexual and reproductive health and the action that is required to address these issues.
In April, their campaign rolled out in hospitals, clinics and medical practices and they utilised printed material including posters and leaflets which were distributed across 550 relay points. Furthermore, this month (June 2021) their campaign moved into another phase where they will host a series of webinars in partnership with medical experts and these webinars will continue until October 2021.
This is a great campaign that provides much-needed information around fibroids and we’re sure it will make a significant difference by highlighting this important women’s health issue, empowering women with fibroids and providing women with access to the support that they need to manage fibroids.
Tuesday 6th June, 2021
In this episode of Sweet Talk, we’re highlighting water as the healthy drink choice. Latoya Matthew-Duncan, the Nutrition Surveillance Coordinator at the Ministry of Health in St. Kitts, explains why water is so important for our health and nutrition. She shares some great tips on how to make water more flavourful so that everyone can be encouraged to choose water as the necessary and healthy drink alternative to sweetened beverages.
CARICOM member states have been discussing and voting on the adoption of a regional food labelling standard, which would require an octagonal front of package warning label (FOPWL) to be placed on food products “High in” sugars, sodium and fats, according to thresholds outlined by the PAHO Nutrient Profile Model. These nutrients are of great public health concern as excess consumption is linked to obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs); which are a significant burden to the people and economy of the Caribbean. Voting on the standard by CARICOM member states ends on May 31, 2021.
FOPWL is one of a combination of key policies, which have been identified by PAHO/WHO as ‘Best Buys’ to tackle overweight, obesity and diet-related NCDs. Specifically, the octagonal FOPWL scheme allows consumers to quickly, easily and correctly identify packaged foods which are high in critical nutrients of concern. Evidence, including a study conducted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica, the University of Technology, Jamaica and PAHO, has shown that octagonal warning labels performed better than all other front of pack labelling schemes in improving the capacity of consumers to make healthier food decisions in Jamaica. To learn more about regional advocacy for FOPWL, visit the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and show your support by signing a petition here.
During our last Health & Herbal Tea feature on WinnFm, our Advocacy Officer, Isalean Phillip, had an informative conversation with public engagement on the topic of FOPWL. Check out the radio show feature below and remember to join us live every first Wednesday for Health & Herbal Tea.
