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

info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com

+1 869 765 8702

Author: admin
NCDConferenceOpeningCeremony
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
February 14, 2023

SKN’s First National NCD Conference

The Ministry of Health in St. Kitts and Nevis and the Pan-American Health Organisation recently hosted the inaugural National Non-Communicable Diseases Conference, which was held from February 7th to 9th at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.

The conference aimed to bring together government officials, health experts,  civil society and private sector representatives to discuss non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their impact on the country.  

NCDs, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and respiratory disease, are some of the biggest challenges facing global public health. They are responsible for a staggering 70% of all deaths worldwide and pose a major threat to human development and economic progress. With this in mind, the conference  assessed the current NCD situation, established commitment from all sectors to contribute to efforts to reduce the impact of NCDs on St. Kitts and Nevis and provided stakeholders with the opportunity to contribute to the development of the Multi-sectoral Plan of Action for NCDs.

Opening cermony of the conferenc (Image credit: Nevis HPU)

This event featured a range of presentations on various aspects of NCDs, including the impact of the pandemic on NCDs, innovative approaches to NCD prevention and management, and the role of civil society in advocacy and policy development.

Speakers included:

  • Taraleen Malcolm, Advisor, Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, PAHO
  • Dr Heather Armstrong, Acting Head of Chronic Disease and Injury, CARPHA
  • Dr Hazel Laws, Chief Medical Officer, St Kitts and Nevis
  • Dr Marissa Carty, NCD Programme Coordinator, Ministry of Health, St Kitts and Nevis
  • Roger McLean, Research Fellow & Lecturer, University of the West Indies
  • Sheneil Isles, Director of Community-based Health Services

We were honoured to have been a speaker at this conference too. Our Programme Director, Abi Begho, delivered a presentation on Health Policy Advocacy and the Role of Civil Society. Begho discussed the importance of civil society organizations in advocating for NCD prevention and management policies that are equitable, evidence-based, and inclusive. 

Abi Begho speaking at the conference (Image credit: Nevis HPU)

She also highlighted the role of civil society in raising awareness about NCDs, monitoring government performance, and engaging communities in NCD prevention and management efforts.

Additionally, during the opening ceremony special guests, Hon. Jahnel Nisbett, Minister of Health, Gender Affairs, Social Services & Community Development  in Nevis and Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister and Minister of Health, St Kitts and Nevis provided remarks.

 Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, highlighted the significance of the NCDs in the country as the leading cause of morbidity, accounting for 62% of all deaths and emphasized the need for a collaborative approach and funding for sustainable interventions to address NCDs. Additionally, the Prime Minister discussed the importance of promoting healthy living and implementing innovative interventions to address the NCD situation in the country. Whilst Hon Nisbett provided an important reminder that there is still much work left to be done to tackle NCDs and emphasized the significance of starting interventions early in the public’s lives to shape their future behaviour.

Conference working session (Image Credit: Nevis HPU)

The conference was a valuable opportunity for participants to exchange ideas, share best practices, and work towards a shared goal of reducing the burden of NCDs. The discussions and insights generated at the conference will help inform future policy and action on NCDs, nationally.

In conclusion, the inaugural National Non-Communicable Diseases Conference was a successful and important event that brought together experts and stakeholders from across  sectors to discuss the latest developments and strategies for preventing and managing NCDs. With the growing global burden of NCDs, it is crucial that we continue to work together to find effective solutions and build a healthier future for all.

By admin
SelfManagementGraduation1
BlogCDSM Course
February 10, 2023

Helping Hands Programme a Success

From August to December 2022, we partnered with Sagicor through their new Helping Hands Programme to deliver a series of Chronic Disease Self-Management workshops in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and ICDF.

This initiative was of particular importance because non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the major public health challenge in St Kitts and Nevis, and the region. Data shows that 54% of people in St Kitts and Nevis are living with a chronic health condition and 63% of deaths in the federation are due to NCDs. We need to do something to support those living with these conditions so they have the best outcome possible.

We know that when people are diagnosed with an NCD, they can feel hopeless, worried, scared and disempowered and it can seem like a significant burden because of the impact the condition can have on a person’s personal and professional life because of the ups and downs and unpredictability that can come from living with an NCD.

The six-week evidence-based chronic disease self-management programme aimed to address all these challenges by providing the tools to successfully manage an NCD by teaching effective self-management techniques such as communication skills, action planning, problem-solving, medication management, mindfulness and others. These techniques not only aim to ensure that patients live well whilst navigating their NCD, but to thrive.

The approach that was utilised for this project is the Stanford University Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). This is an evidence-based program that addresses common issues faced by people with chronic conditions. The program has been implemented in 19 countries around the globe showing the following benefits:

  • Improved health behaviours
  • Improved health of patients
  • Fewer hospitalisations
"Words cannot adequately convey my deep appreciation for what we, the participants, have achieved over a six-week period. The material presented each week was as informative as it was timely, and serves to sensitize us to the reality of self- managing our various situations. The facilitators were awesome! We saw patience, understanding and a labour of love on display each week. Thank you. And to Sagicor, thanks for sponsoring such a worthwhile venture. That is deeply appreciated. The certificates are beautiful, and the books are a treasure."
Workshop Participant

It was a pleasure to host these sessions which empowered and equipped participants to improve their health and wellbeing. Through this initiative, we hosted four six-week chronic disease self-management workshops reaching 60 people living with NCDs.

This partnership between Sagicor, the Ministry of Health, the Taiwan ICDs and ourselves, Lake Health and Wellbeing demonstrates the power of collaboration and utilising a whole-of-society approach to tackling important public health issues. Through this collaboration, the private sector, government, an international agency and a local NGO have come together to improve the health and wellbeing of the public, and we’re delighted to have been a part of this project. We would like to thank our project partners, it was a pleasure working with you all, and we look forward to future partnerships like these as they are much-needed.

By admin
ConversationWithKids
DietNews
February 6, 2023

Conversation With Our Kids

On Saturday 4th February, we were so happy to feature on Conversation with Our Kids, a new radio show on WINN FM which aims to give children a voice and is thus a series that is for kids, created by kids.

We had a great time on the show which started with some fun ice-breaker questions and then we transitioned into exploring healthy eating with hosts Kadique and Xzavia. During the interview we touched on the harms of overconsuming sugar, why children should eat fruits and vegetables, the long-term impact of unhealthy eating and the work that we at Lake Health and Wellbeing do to educate children about healthy eating.

You can watch the recording of the episode above and we would like to say a big thank you to WINN FM,  the Conversation with Our Kids team and our wonderful hosts, Kadique and Xzavia, for their warm welcome and for giving us the opportunity to discuss this important topic.

By admin
CoverImage(Web)JEMF
BlogChildhood ObesityMy Healthy Heroes
February 6, 2023

Just Eat Me Fresh Launch

On 31st January 2023, Lake health and Wellbeing in partnership with the ICDF and the Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Unit launched a short animation, ‘Just Eat Me Fresh. 

The animation was developed as part of our efforts to tackle the high rate of childhood obesity which is a major public health issue in the Caribbean with 1 in 3 children being overweight or obese.  The rate of childhood obesity in the Caribbean is higher than the global average and is reported to be on the rise.

Childhood obesity is a significant challenge here in St Kitts and Nevis. A PAHO report revealed that 33% of secondary school children in the twin-island state were overweight and 14% were obese. More recently, in 2017, a UNICEF report published that 26% of children in St Kitts and Nevis are obese. 

Data has demonstrated that NCDs are becoming an epidemic in the Federation with over 80% of illnesses and deaths in St Kitts and Nevis being due to these conditions. We must do something about this to prevent our citizens from dying prematurely and one approach is to tackle childhood obesity.

To combat childhood obesity, we have to ensure that children adopt a healthy lifestyle, and we also have to create a healthy environment at schools, in homes and within society so that children can make healthy choices.

Our animation, Just Eat Me Fresh, aims to promote a culture of healthy snacking by encouraging children and their parents to opt for fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks rather than ultra-processed, unhealthy snacks that are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat. This animation can be used in the school environment, at home and in the community to educate young people on the importance of adopting healthy behaviours.

Just Eat Me Fresh forms part of a set of resources that we have started to create which falls under our My Healthy Heroes programme, through this work we’re aiming to create engaging resources to support teaching children about healthy eating.

To find out more about this work and how you can use this animation in your school, you can email us

Launch Event

We had a great time at the launch event which featured a special performance of the animation’s song and dance by grade 3 students of the Seventh Day Adventist Church as well as speeches and presentations by:

  • Dr Hon Geoffrey Hanley, the Deputy Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis and the Minister of Education, Youth, Social Development, Gender Affairs, Aging and Disabilities
  • Ambassador, His Excellency Michael Chau-Hong Lin, Resident Ambassador, Republic of China (Taiwan)
  • Mrs Maisha Hutton, the Executive Director, of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition
  • Ms Michelle Sutton, Health and Wellness Coordinator, Ministry of Education
  • Mr Will Chen, Project Manager, Chronic Metabolic Disease Programme, the Taiwan Technical Mission

You can watch a recording of the launch event below. 

By admin
CarnivalEventFlyer (Small)
Blog
January 19, 2023

Addressing Our Drinking Culture

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. 

By admin
GMSKN
Blog
December 20, 2022

Come Inna Dis Interview

In October, we partnered with the Heart Foundation of Jamaica to bring their radio drama series Come Inna Dis to St. Kitts and Nevis.

Come Inna Dis is a 13-episode radio drama geared towards helping the public make better health decisions individually and at the community level. Each episode is 3 minutes long, during which listeners follow the story of friends Angie and Jen as they embark on a journey through the curves and turns that come with having to make health and lifestyle choices.

The series tells a fun, engaging and relatable story that addresses a number of important public health issues. Specifically, the series explores non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which are the major public health challenge facing St. Kitts and Nevis and the Caribbean.

As we were nearing the end of the first season of the series, our Advocacy Consultant, Dentrecia Blanchette was delighted to join K. Morrish Cooke, the Communications Officer, and Rosanna Pike, the Health Education Officer,  from the Global Health Advocacy Project at the Heart Foundation of Jamaica to discuss Come Inna Dis on Good Morning St. Kitts and Nevis. This was an informative and interesting conversation which you can watch above.

You can listen to Come Inna Dis on our campaign website here and we’d love to hear from you, let us know what you think of the series.

By admin
Law and NCD Webinar (October 2022) (web)
BlogHealth Policy
November 14, 2022

Our Law and NCD Webinar

On Wednesday 26th October, we were delighted to host a webinar in collaboration with the St. Kitts and Nevis Bar Association to answer the question “Can the Law Really Tackle Non-Communicable Diseases?” This webinar aimed to educate those in the legal field on how the law can be used to reduce the public’s exposure to NCD risk factors and create a healthy food environment.

This event started with a presentation by Javier Zuniga, Lawyer, El Poder del Consumido on his experience as a Mexican lawyer working on the prevention and control of NCDs. Specifically, Mr Zuniga focused on regulations on front-of-package warning labels which aim to give the public a very quick and easy way to identify foods and beverages that are high in sugar, salt, saturated fat and trans fat and thereby enable the public to make more informed choices about their food purchases.  

Following Mr Zuniga’s presentation, we transitioned to a panel discussion which featured:

During this panel discussion, we had an interesting and informative conversation on the work that is being conducted across the region to tackle NCDs through laws and regulations. We touched on sugar-sweetened beverage taxation, school nutrition policies, tobacco control, banning the sale and marketing of unhealthy foods in and around schools and front-of-package warning labels. We also explored the challenges that lawyers and public health advocates face in trying to encourage the introduction of laws and policies related to these areas; a significant challenge being the food and beverage industry’s interference in the policymaking process. Furthermore, we discussed ways to motivate Governments to take action on NCDs by adopting robust, evidence-based policies and laws, and how lawyers can get involved in the ongoing work across the region to prevent and control NCDs.

This was a very interesting and thought-provoking event and we would like to thank all our speakers and panellists for participating in this event and for so generously sharing their expertise and knowledge with attendees. We would also like to thank the St. Kitts and Nevis Bar Association for partnering with us to organise this event and we would like to thank all the attendees who joined the event. We appreciated all their comments and questions which made for a rich discussion and finally, we would like to thank our new Advocacy Consultation, Dentrecia Blanchette for her excellent moderation of this event.  

By admin
WOF_SocialGraphic1
News
November 12, 2022

Organisations Call on UNFCCC To Rethink Coca-Cola Sponsorship

Lake Health and Wellbeing has joined 59 other health-related organisations from across the world to call on Simon Stiell, the Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to rethink Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of COP27.

 COP27 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and it brings world leaders together to not only discuss, but to take action towards, achieving the global climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement. The sponsorship of the event by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s leading plastic polluters and thus a major contributor to climate change, is at odds with the objectives and ethos of the conference. Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the conference gives them an influential voice on the policies and strategies being developed to tackle climate change, which is a clear conflict of interest, and it gives them a very high-profile platform on which to promote their environment- and health-harming products.

We are calling on Simon Stiell to limit the influence of health- and environment-harming industries by developing strict guidelines on the types of companies that sponsor future climate change conferences. This will ensure that companies do not influence the policymaking process and that the public’s interest, and not corporate interests, remains the focus of events like these.

The open letter, including the list of signatories, can be downloaded below.

By admin
CheckPresentation’
Blog
October 28, 2022

Thank you, ACF!

We are very grateful to the Advancement of Children Foundation for recently awarding us with a grant to implement a project focusing on menstrual health education. This project aims to address one of the findings of our fibroids research project, namely the lack of awareness of and information about menstrual health in St Kitts and Nevis. 

Background

In 2020, we conducted a research project to explore the experience of women in St. Kitts and Nevis who were affected by fibroids (Fibroids is a gynaecological condition that negatively affects women’s menstrual health). We carried out in-depth interviews with fibroid patients to understand their experience and the findings of this research project identified menstrual health awareness as a major gap in the knowledge of women and girls leading to poor menstrual health, delays in the diagnosis of menstrual health conditions such as fibroids, a reduction in women and girls’ quality of life and poor mental health.

An important finding from our research was that poor menstrual health affects every aspect of a woman’s life from their physical and mental health to their personal and professional life.

We found that the negative impact of poor menstrual health in many cases is exacerbated by a lack of awareness of what a normal period looks and feels like and how to manage menstrual symptoms. This is because women suffer from severe menstrual pain and heavy menstrual bleeding, in silence, without the realisation that these debilitating symptoms could be due to an underlying issue like fibroids or endometriosis.  These menstrual symptoms, in some cases, resulted in significant challenges in the workplace such as regular absences from work, low productivity, pain and bleeding accidents at work, tension with colleagues and management, and job losses. With regards to women’s personal lives, these menstrual symptoms affected women’s ability to socialise, disrupted their daily activities, affected their relationships and had an impact on their finances.

 Another set of issues raised by our research was the lack of menstrual health information and support. This lack of information and support affected women’s ability to make informed decisions about their health and negatively affected their wellbeing. Furthermore, all these issues and experiences had a significant impact on women’s mental health causing anxiety, and women explained that they felt defeated, confused, overwhelmed and worried because of their poor menstrual health.

Additionally, the negative beliefs, perceptions and stigma associated with menstruation within our community negatively impacted women’s wellbeing. It was felt that society’s perception of women’s health issues does not create an environment of empathy or one where women feel comfortable enough to discuss the challenges that they encounter and, therefore, reach out for support.

These findings highlight that poor menstrual health is a significant issue in St Kitts and Nevis that needs to be addressed. We believe a whole-of-society approach is required to address these issue

This ACF-Funded Project

For this current project, we would like to start with the next generation and provide comprehensive menstrual health information that will educate, empower and engage girls so that we can improve awareness and knowledge about menstruation and thus improve girl’s and women’s menstrual health and wellbeing as well as also improve their experience in society by empowering them to advocate for themselves when it comes to their menstrual health and wellbeing.

This project will be a partnership between the ACF who will be providing the funding, WASH United and the Ministry of Education.

We look forward to starting this project and more information will be available in the coming months. In the meantime, we would like to say a big thank you to the ACF for this wonderful opportunity and are so grateful to have been awarded this grant.

By admin
Womens-Empowerment-signing-ceremony-4-768×512
BlogWomen's Health
October 24, 2022

We Were A Winner of the WEI Contest!

We are extremely grateful to the Ministry of Social Development & Gender Affairs and the Republic of China (Taiwan) for selecting us as one of the winners of the Women’s Empowerment Initiative Contest and awarding us funding to implement a project to empower women living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

This project was birthed out of a research project we conducted last year, with funding from the Commonwealth Foundation. This research project explored the gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with NCDs in St. Kitts and Nevis. One of the key findings of this project was that single mothers on a low income were particularly vulnerable during the pandemic. This was because they were already trying to manage their chronic illness while fulfilling their many roles and responsibilities, (being a mother, working, caring for older parents etc.) with sometimes little or no practical, emotional or financial support. As a result of this, they were exposed to a high level of stress which can exacerbate their NCD and the disaster-related stress caused by the pandemic compounded these issues.

Our project aims to empower women living with NCDs professionally, personally and financially, and we also aim to provide guidance on NCD self-management and self-advocacy to ensure that women can successfully manage their health condition and advocate for themselves. Through this work, we hope that we will enable women living with chronic health conditions to live a full life where they are able to thrive.

We are very much looking forward to starting this project and if you are a woman living with a chronic health condition or know someone who lives with a chronic health condition who may benefit from our project, then please do get in touch with us by emailing info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com  

You can find out more about the Women’s Empowerment Initiative Contest and the other winner, Tab SKN, here and here

By admin