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.
