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

info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com

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Category: Blog

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
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
Sagicor Helping Hands
Blog
October 4, 2022

Helping Hands

We are absolutely delighted that Lake Health and Wellbeing, as well as The Deaf Heart Project from Barbados and Servol from Trinidad, have been selected from over 200 NGOs in the region to benefit from Sagicor’s Helping Hands programme.  Recently, we visited Sagicor’s office in St. Kitts for a formal cheque presentation. You can read more about this in the article below which was published by WINN Media.

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts and Nevis – Sagicor is continuing on its mission to highlight the causes, initiatives and programmes making a difference in communities across the region. This was seen at the official Helping Hands cheque hand over where the team at Sagicor met with the representatives of Lake Health and Wellbeing to discuss upcoming support for the non-governmental organisation’s (NGO’s) initiatives across St. Kitts and Nevis.  

Earlier this month, the financial services entity embarked on their newest corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, Helping Hands, a programme that will see the company working to uplift three non-governmental organisations (NGOs), following the submission of more than two hundred applications from various charities located in Sagicor’s operating territories across the Southern Caribbean.

After a careful selection process, Lake Health and Wellbeing in St. Kitts and Nevis; The Deaf Heart Project in Barbados and Servol Life Centres in Trinidad and Tobago and were chosen to receive support from the insurer until year-end. 

Each NGO will receive US$10,000 in support from Sagicor, along with in-kind assistance where suitable, as the company seeks to lend a much needed helping hand to each of the NGO’s current major initiatives.  In the case of Lake Health and Wellbeing, the funds will be utilized to implement a series of Chronic Disease Self-Management workshops for people living with Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) in St. Kitts and Nevis. 

By admin
ComeInnaDisCoverImage (web)
BlogYou're Sweet Enough
September 29, 2022

Jamaica’s Heart Foundation Radio Series on Health Launches in St. Kitts and Nevis

Lake Health and Wellbeing has partnered with the Heart Foundation of Jamaica to bring the 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.  

In St. Kitts and Nevis, between 2015 to 2019, 57.8% of deaths were due to NCDs. Contributing to the development of NCDs are the modifiable risk factors of an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and alcohol consumption. To address the high rate of NCDs in the Federation, a healthy environment has to be created that minimises the public’s exposure to these modifiable risk factors so that they can easily choose healthy options. This requires the development and implementation of effective public health policies and health education campaigns.

Come Inna Dis is part of a range of advocacy initiatives being implemented by non-profit organisations throughout the Caribbean to advocate for healthy food policies and to encourage the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle. It was conceptualised and developed by the Heart Foundation of Jamaica’s Global Health Advocacy Project (GHAP) as part of its Food Policy Programme and was first launched in Jamaica in 2020.

Barbara McGaw, Project Manager for the Heart Foundation of Jamaica’s GHAP notes that,

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica recognises the role such an avenue, a radio series, has in helping to influence health behaviours and promote health behaviour change. We have witnessed through Come Inna Dis the tremendous impacts it has had both directly and indirectly on public perceptions, through feedback and support. That is, people have discussed what they hear with others and use such interactions to validate their own experiences and expectations.

We are all consumers. At the moment we are all disadvantaged by the lack of adequate nutrition information on our food among other things. We all have the right to information and healthy nutritious food, and for this reason, we continue to encourage our government to implement effective healthy food policies, based on scientific evidence.

We hope to experience an even greater impact in our partner island, St. Kitts and Nevis, as we continue our advocacy journey together. We also expect that its citizens will enjoy the fun-filled and dramatic journey between two friends in their quest for better health and that people will relate to their experiences, and in turn, help guide health behaviours to develop a healthier nation, and hope that this is the first of many collaborations to come.

Abi Begho, Programme Director at Lake Health and Wellbeing said,

We are absolutely delighted to have partnered with the Heart Foundation of Jamaica to bring Come Inna Dis to St. Kitts and Nevis. This is an excellent series that addresses, in a fun and engaging way, the many challenges that we face as we strive to adopt a healthy lifestyle. It also explores some of the evidence-based and effective public health policies that are needed to create a healthy environment and, therefore, it is a thorough exploration of the role that all of society must play in improving the health of the nation. We applaud the Heart Foundation of Jamaica for its creativity in addressing these important public health issues.

The public can listen to Come Inna Dis on ZIZ Radio every Wednesday at 1pm starting from 5 October 2022 and on WINN FM every Monday at 11am starting from 3 October 2022. Episodes will also be available for replay at www.youaresweetenough.com

For more information, you can watch the St Kitts and Nevis launch event of Come Inna Dis below. 

By admin
achievement-3408115_640-2
Blog
September 8, 2022

Creating an NCD Alliance

In today’s blog, we hear from Frances Wharton who will be working with us on our new project to create an NCD alliance in St. Kitts and Nevis. 

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Being diagnosed with a non-communicable disease (NCDs) such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer or fibroids etc can be stressful and frightening. You need access to helpful information in order to manage symptoms and, if possible, prevent a deterioration of the disease. However, unfortunately, a lot of the time we are presented with a wealth of misinformation or conflicts in information or worse still, well-meaning friends and relatives sharing partial knowledge they’ve gained from the Internet or social media.

Individual Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), such as Lake Health & Wellbeing and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have been doing a fantastic role in raising awareness and educating the public in relation to NCDs. Additionally, many of the NGO/CSOs have been providing support and services to patients while also holding governments accountable and helping to shape policy.

This Alliance project aims to enhance these services even more. An alliance will allow a single joint message to be disseminated from each NGO/CSO ensuring consistency and reducing confusion. Each NGO/CSO will have the opportunity to support one another while still focusing on their main public health area. Resources and expertise can be shared and developed even more in order to better serve the local community on health-related matters. Having an alliance will also strengthen advocacy efforts, again providing a greater impact within the local community.

Therefore, if you are currently affiliated with an NGO/CSO, feel free to contact us for information about joining the St. Kitts and Nevis NCD Alliance. We will also be reaching out to various NGO/CSOs in the coming weeks. We know some of you may feel tentative about sharing knowledge but we can guarantee we certainly will not be undermining any of the work you have already accomplished and are aiming to make each respective NGO even more successful in supporting the local communities within St. Kitts and Nevis.

By admin
ReportCoverImage
Health PolicyYou're Sweet Enough
September 5, 2022

Health Policy Forum

On Thursday 28th July 2022, we hosted a Health Policy Forum for Civil Servants in St. Kitts and Nevis at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.

The objective of this forum was to bring together civil servants from various government ministries and departments to engage them in an in-depth discussion about the multi-sectoral implications of implementing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes, SSB sale and marketing restrictions and front-of-pack warning labels as policies to support the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). 

There were twenty participants representing ten government departments in St. Kitts and the departments represented included:

      • St. Kitts Ministry of Health
      • Nevis Health Promotion Unit
      • Nevis Mental Health Unit
      • Nevis Trade and Consumer Affairs
      • Nevis Ministry of Education
      • St. Kitts and Nevis Legal Department
      • St. Kitts Dept. of Gender Affairs
      • St. Kitts Dept. of Labour
      • St. Kitts Bureau of Standards
      • St. Kitts Drug Council

The Forum agenda was split into two parts. During part one, attendees received information from presenters about the impetus behind advocacy for health policies on NCD prevention and control. Presentations provided key information about current NCD rates and health challenges faced locally and regionally, the recommended evidence-based policies being championed by WHO/PAHO, and case study analyses and reports on the effectiveness of health taxes in similar jurisdictions. The presentation agenda went as follows (click each to view slides or listen to a clip from presentations):

For part two of the forum, attendees were divided into three breakout groups to discuss the implications of implementing each policy recommendation being considered. Each group was asked to consider the following questions:

  • How does the ___ sector play a part/consider their role in the prevention and control of NCDs in St. Kitts and Nevis?
  • What are the implications of implementing an SSB tax on each respective sector?
  • What are the sector-specific or general considerations for restricting the sale and marketing of SSBs in schools?
  • What are the sector-specific or general considerations for implementing front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL)?

Attendees had a robust discussion on each of these questions and provided some useful insight on how each policy area might affect each government department and how each department can support the implementation of these policies.  

This was a very enjoyable and informative day and we would like to thank all our speakers (PAHO, the World Bank, the St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Health the Bermuda Department of Health)  who provided some excellent background information which helped set the scene for the discussion session.

For more detailed information on the points raised during the discussion session, you can download the forum report below.

By admin
CoverImage(web)
BlogNon-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
July 29, 2022

SSB Survey Results

In February 2021, we conducted a sugar-sweetened beverage survey which aimed to obtain the public’s opinion on topics related to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Specifically, we measured the public’s opinion on the importance of the government addressing NCDs, how concerned individuals are about NCDs, and the public’s support for government policies to reduce SSB consumption, and we explored what SSBs the public consumes and how often they consume these.  

The survey enabled us to collect baseline data on the public’s views of the above-mentioned issues and determine their frequency of SSB consumption to help inform the direction of our media and advocacy campaign.

To collect the required data, we developed a short survey. The public could complete the survey anonymously online or via a hard copy with assistance from trained enumerators. A total of 423 people completed the survey.

Our survey suggests that St Kitts and Nevis has a high rate of NCDs and that the public is very concerned about NCDs and strongly believes that the government has a role to play in improving the country’s health. Therefore, action is needed on NCDs, and reducing the public’s SSB consumption is just one of many approaches that can be explored to address these health issues as our data shows high levels of SSB consumption in our sample.

To reduce the public’s consumption of SSBs requires behaviour change, and this can be achieved through the introduction of SSB policies by the government. These policies include evidence-based and globally endorsed policies such as an SSB tax, restricting the sale of SSBs in and around schools and banning the marketing of SSBs to children. Our data suggest that there is some public support for these policies and further public support could be obtained if carefully designed public education campaigns are implemented. Although the survey data shows that the public would support certain policies, the data also indicates that the method used to raise awareness of these policies and the spokespeople utilised in any communication strategy should be carefully considered to ensure the success of any such campaign.

Report and Infographic

You can download our survey report and an infographic summarising our key findings by clicking on the images below. 

By admin
SodaPicture
SSB TaxYou're Sweet Enough
June 20, 2022

Dispelling myths about SSB Taxes

While SSB taxes are found to be effective at reducing purchases and consumption of SSBs and producing better public health outcomes in the long run, different counter-arguments are made in resistance to this tax-based health policy. One common argument made by industry stakeholders against SSB taxes is that they will lead to considerable job losses among businesses that produce, distribute and sell the taxed beverages; however, these claims are unfounded.

To date, peer-reviewed SSB tax evaluation studies have estimated labour market impacts in taxing jurisdictions of the United States and these studies consistently found no net negative impacts on employment and unemployment outcomes. No evidence of net job losses or job losses in industries that produce or sell SSBs has been found (UIC, 2022). Rather, SSB taxation may influence market development by sparking the growth of a healthy drink and food industry. By increasing awareness of the harms of high-sugar diets and utilizing SSB tax revenues to subsidise local fruits and vegetables, the local fruit juice market stands to benefit from expansion and sustainability. Small businesses and street vendors who sell SSBs can make and sell local unsweetened fruit juices and healthy snacks where the demand for healthier and cheaper drink alternatives increases as a result of SSB taxation.

Conclusion

Now more than ever, civil society organisations (CSOs) across the world are advocating for effective health policies, like SSB taxation, that help to improve health outcomes and cultivate healthy environments for all. SSB taxes are demonstrably effective at reducing SSB purchases and improving obesity rates in the long term. To achieve the greatest impact in NCD prevention and control, taxation ought to be coupled with other policies that help to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in diet-related health.

Interventions such as including front-of-pack warning labels, cultivating healthy school environments through nutrition education, implementing sale restrictions on sugary foods and drinks in schools and at hospitals, and providing subsidies on locally grown healthy foods are all valuable and necessary for the most equitable impact on consumer behaviour and health outcomes. To combat the threat that NCDs pose on our people, productivity and livelihoods, government, civil society, industry, individuals and communities must work together. Together we can strengthen calls to action for local government to prioritise proper health, nutrition and wellbeing by implementing health policies that lead to better health and sustainability for all.

By admin
sugar-258113_640
SSB TaxYou're Sweet Enough
June 13, 2022

An Introduction to SSB Taxation

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation is a common effective policy adopted by governments to deter the purchase and consumption of SSBs. In the last decade, more than 50 countries worldwide have introduced a tax on SSBs. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends SSB taxes as a best buy[1] option for governments, noting that “just as taxing tobacco helped to reduce tobacco use, taxing sugary drinks can reduce consumption of sugar” (2017). Evidence of SSB tax effectiveness is published in a World Bank 2020 report that details the results of SSB taxes in jurisdictions across the globe. Overall, trends indicate that where taxes are enforced, purchases of SSBs decline. Furthermore, the higher the tax rate the greater the impact on consumer behaviour.

In the Caribbean, Barbados, Bermuda and Dominica have implemented SSB taxes. According to the World Bank report, Barbados implemented a 10% tax on SSBs in 2015 and in the first year, average weekly sales of SSBs overall and carbonated SSBs specifically decreased by 4.3% and 3.6%, respectively. Additionally, sales of non-SSBs increased 5.2%, with bottled water increasing 7.5%. In 2022, the Barbados government decided to increase the SSB tax to 20% after researchers found that some consumers shifted to purchasing cheaper SSB options instead of reducing consumption altogether. According to the WHO, to maximise the desired impact of SSB taxation, a minimal tax rate of 20% is recommended.

In Mexico, where SSB taxes higher than 10% were introduced in 2014, data show that three years after implementation, the excise tax on SSBs helped to increase the proportion of people who do not consume SSBs. A 2020 research study found that before implementation, more than 50% of research participants were medium and high consumers of SSBs and less than 10% were non-consumers. After tax implementation, 43% of the population was categorised as medium and high consumers and the prevalence of non-consumers increased to 14% (BMJ, 2020). Notably, the reduction in SSB consumption after tax implementation also led to recorded health improvements among adolescents in Mexico. For every 10% increase in the city’s average price of an SSB, there was a significant 1.3% absolute decrease in both overweight or obesity prevalence for girls within two years of the SSB price change (JAMA Pediatrics, 2021).

SSB taxation is a win-win solution. Evidence shows that taxation not only helps to reduce consumption which contributes to improved health over time, but it also generates additional government revenue which can be used to fund other necessary health promotion programmes. In Bermuda, SSB tax revenue was reinvested into making healthy foods more accessible by subsidising fruits and vegetables to increase consumption. In addition to healthy food subsidies, SSB tax jurisdictions in the United States report using revenue to invest into early childhood programmes and community infrastructure improvements like recreation centres and public gym parks to promote physical activity (PMR, 2021).

Public support for SSB taxes varies widely by jurisdiction, although when governments commit to designating tax revenue to reinvest into improving public health, general support for taxation increases. For instance, in St. Kitts and Nevis, public opinion polls completed in 2021 reveal that support for implementing SSB taxes across the federation increases if tax revenue is earmarked for investment in health-focused initiatives like improving public water drinking infrastructure. As an evidence-based policy solution SSB taxation is strongly recommended to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks and ultimately help to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Government is not only being called to act but is encouraged to consider how SSB tax revenue can be designated to increase healthcare resources and improve public health outcomes.

[1] NCD Best-Buys are evidence-based public health interventions for tackling NCDs, according to the World Health Organization

By admin