The Healthy Caribbean Coalition in collaboration with the NCD Alliance have released an  action plan for preventing childhood obesity in the Caribbean. This action plan is based on a number of frameworks developed by organisations around the world to ensure consistency. The plan aims to foster a collaborative approach to tackling childhood obesity with recommendations for civil society working in partnership with governments and the private sector.

This action plan is of utmost importance as a third of children in the Caribbean are overweight or obese. Children who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk of being overweight or obese adults and of developing a non-communicable disease (NCD) later in life.

The Priorities of the Plan

Rates of childhood obesity are increasing in the Caribbean; this needs to be addressed to improve the health of the Caribbean community. If left unchecked the Caribbean will see a huge increase in NCDs leading to avoidable ill-health and premature death. The Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s action plan aims to address this. Their plan focuses on seven priority areas. These include:

Trade and fiscal policies e.g. taxation of unhealthy food

Nutrition literacy e.g. mandatory front-of-package nutrition labelling

Early childhood nutrition e.g. interventions related to breastfeeding and complementary foods

Marketing of healthy and unhealthy foods and drinks e.g. banning of marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks to children

School and community based interventions e.g. mandatory physical activity in schools  

Resource mobilisation for interventions addressing childhood obesity

Strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation: e.g monitoring progress through the use of the CSO Childhood Obesity Prevention Scorecard

Next Steps

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition team, based in Barbados, will take the lead on implementing this action plan and will form a regional Steering Committee with members coming from the around the Caribbean representing the private sector, government and civil society organisations. They will also form a civil society organisation action network for childhood obesity prevention who will work on promoting relevant policies and interventions.

We’re really happy to see this action plan published. It provides a good foundation on which to start work on the prevention of childhood obesity in the Caribbean and we look forward to getting involved in this work.

More Information

For more information please visit the HCC website here, download the action plan below or email  hcc@healthycaribbean.org

A couple of weeks ago government representatives from across  the world met in Montevideo, Uruguay for the World Health Organisation’s Global Conference on NCDs (Non-communicable diseases, e.g: cancer, diabetes,  cardiovascular disease etc).  The objectives of the conference were: to guide countries on how to reach sustainable development goal target 3.4 by 2030; to launch a new set of global initiatives to help countries accelerate progress in tackling NCDs; to share and exchange experiences; and to discuss how the health sector can be a key example of the benefit of enhancing policy coherence to achieve the sustainable development goals.

Making A Commitment to Tackle NCDs

At this conference governments endorsed the Montevideo Roadmap 2018-2030 on NCDs as a Sustainable Development Priority. By endorsing this roadmap they have made a commitment to take significant steps towards reducing the premature deaths due to NCDs by a third. They recognised that NCDs are one of the major challenges of the 21^st century and that progress to tackle them has been uneven and insufficient. The roadmap states that 15 million 30 to 69 year olds per year die from a NCD and 80% of these premature deaths occur in developing countries.  There are a number of challenges associated with tackling NCDs and with this is mind they committed to the following actions:

• Reinvigorate political action
• Enable health systems to respond more effectively to NCDs
• Increase significantly the financing of national NCD responses and international cooperation
• Increase efforts to engage sectors beyond health
• Reinforce the role of non-State actors
• Seeks measures to address the negative impact of products and environmental factors harmful for health and strengthen the contribution and accountability of the private sector and other non-State actors
• Continue relying on WHO’s leadership and key role in the global response to NCDs
• Act in unity

Our Thoughts

We were delighted to see world leaders come together and make this commitment and look forward to seeing these actions being taken forward.

We’re particularly happy to see that efforts will be made to engage with a variety of stakeholders. As a small organisation that is passionate about improving the health and well-being of our community we do get frustrated at the lack of engagement with grassroots organisations. We have many times reached out to local and national governments with our enthusiasm and ideas, ready to play a role but have received lukewarm responses or no responses at all. We hope that governments will see the value of working with small organisations and we have been grateful for the funding provided by Croydon Council, Sports England, Macmillan and Eli Lilly for some of the work we’ve conducted on NCDs. We look forward to continuing to work in this area and making our own small contribution.

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You can read the complete Montevideo Roadmap below.

Yesterday, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition launched an online portal of all the non-communicable disease commissions in the Caribbean. The portal gives information on all active boards, groups or bodies that have been established to coordinate their countries’ plans for the prevention of NCDs. The aim of this portal is to raise awareness of the work being conducted on NCDs so that those interested in this area can learn more about the work being conducted in the Caribbean, and by whom.

The development of the portal was developed to support one of the recommendations of the 2007 Port of Spain Declaration: Uniting to Sport the Epidemic of NCDs which stated that:

 “We strongly encourage the establishment of National Commissions on NCDs or analogous bodies to plan and coordinate the comprehensive prevention and control of chronic NCDs.”

This portal highlights the progress that governments across the Caribbean have made in taking forward this recommendation and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition will keep the portal updated to ensure it gives a true reflection of the work being conducted across the Caribbean.

For more information about the portal and to access it, please click here

In this week’s blog, our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah explores the health of our finances and gives us all a few  points to consider if we’re aiming to improve our financial health

Welcome back to The Lake Foundation! On this platform you can expect a plethora of articles relating to your physical health and mental health. This week we’re going to do things a bit differently and look at financial health but more specifically, habits concerning your finances. Now for those of you that are still not sold as to why your financial habits are important let me tell you this: according to the Mental Health Foundation being in debt can trigger anxiety or depression, which can open the door to a whole host of other mental and physical illnesses.

In my own experience crafting healthy habits when it comes to finances is about more than having the right systems in place – you need to have will power! And that was not something I had much of. I remember a time when I had saved enough money to clear a credit card. After speaking to my mother, who had managed to clear all her debts off early on in life, I knew that I had to cancel this card. So I called my bank ready to cancel this card, ready to break free, but of course after a 45-minute phone call instead of cancelling the card as my mother instructed, I ended up upgrading the credit account and in a few days I received a shiny new piece of plastic. Suffice to say that some people find it easier to break free from debt but I’m certainly not one of them.

For those of you that are certain that you’re above such behaviour here are a few habits from Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst, that might have become so ingrained in the way that you handle your finances that you can’t even see past them.

Casually dipping into debt

The odd few times of dipping into your overdraft doesn’t seem bad at first but it does make it easier for you to keep on going back. Sarah notes that the key to this habit is drawing up a household budget and identifying the regular costs that you can cut. This may mean being far more selective when it comes to shopping for groceries, expensive media packages and gym memberships. And for all of the students out there just know that when you’re done with your degree that ‘student’ over draft will be even harder to get rid of because employers unfortunately, won’t be lining up to pay you a six figure salary!

Only paying the minimum amount back on your borrowing

Surviving by just paying the minimum amount each month is how so many of us are lulled into a false sense of security. By paying off the debt at such a slow pace we are indeed just racking up more interest. If you have a significant balance it may be worth switching in in order to cut interest rated for the time being. However, if you choose to do this it’s important that you realise that the switch was simply a mechanism for debt repayment.

 Forgetting about your savings

Forgetting about your savings is an expensive habit to form as rates on such accounts are likely to become less competitive. The best way to avoid such a mistake is to regularly check what you are earning on your savings and if the rate is no longer competitive then it’s times for you to make a switch.

 Putting plans off

 When dealing with your finances it’s so easy to think that your debts are a problem for the future and not for the present. The ugly truth is that soon enough the future you had once envisioned will one day soon become your present, and as you never put a physical plan in place for paying off your debts, they will continue to follow you around like an unsightly rash.

Do you have healthy financial habits? Or, do you think you need help in that area?

Comment down below, we would love to hear from you!

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Stacey Mensah is not a financial advisor nor does she claim to be. Before changing the way, you handle your finances it’s important to seek the help of a professional.

Hey folks, Stacey Mensah, our guest blogger, is back and this week she reflects on the need for a bit of ‘me time’

Thinking of yourself isn’t selfish – it’s necessary. In a world where different mediums are competing for our attention as soon as we wake up, it’s important to take the time to refuel. And unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way. I recently worked for a company that required me to work extensive hours and at first, I didn’t have a problem with that. It’s only when I began to blur the line between the social and professional that I realized how taxing this was on my health. And by that, I mean every single night I was taking the work home.

Now for all of the journalists out there, I agree this is a by-product of the path we’ve chosen to take, but something has got to give. When it’s 4 in the morning and all you can think about is your rundown – knowing full well that all of the members of your team are fast asleep that’s when you know you have to re-prioritize a few things. Couple this with the fact that I was on first name basis with a couple of UberEats delivery drivers who practically became family, that’s when I knew that I needed to go back to basics.

So, what exactly are the basics? We’re talking about trying to avoid the complicated ways of doing things. One of the major ways I like to do this is by writing to do lists. They are my way of getting down everything that needs to be done and I’m usually always able to schedule in some ‘me time’ as writing the list allows me to be efficient with my time during the day. ‘Me time’ could be something as simple as taking a 5-minute walk, a period of reflection at the end of the day or even getting in some quality rest and relaxation. Some people find the idea of ‘me time’ as an alien concept, but to others, it’s the only way they are able to give their best at work. In case my story hasn’t compelled you enough to take some time out of your busy schedule, just know that if you factor in eating unhealthily and sleeping poorly, to say that you would not be doing yourself any favours is an understatement. Is this really practical in this day and age? For those who live in London or a big city, you may feel as though it is so cut throat that the only option you have is to dedicate every waking hour working towards that next big objective, but sooner or later it hits us all.

Ultimately, not prioritizing ‘me time’ means losing yourself in the long run – you lose that vavavoom, that je ne sais quoi! And, your health and well-being takes a big hit. Treat yourself as a vessel. There is no way you can pour into others if you’re running on empty. So take some time to refuel because life is hard enough when you’re running on a full tank.

Do you take time for yourself? Do you think it’s necessary? Comment down below…

 

We’re delighted to have our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, back for more musings on healthy living. This week Stacey asks the question: ‘Should we really be eating meat?’

Should we really be eating meat? A question that I have personally battled with, time and time again. I first became interested in vegetarianism a few years ago when I was simply trying to shed a few extra pounds. My logic was that if I cut out all of these meat products then that would automatically mean that I would lose weight. I was wrong. I chose to replace those foods with unhealthy substitutes as well as stocking up on carbs but that’s a different blog post entirely. I then visited veganism a few months ago as I began watching documentaries and reading up on the composition and nutrition of particular food groups. Surprisingly till this day I still eat meat. However, I have seen a great decline in my consumption and I would go as far as to label myself a pescatarian. I would not be surprised if I became a vegan in the next 2 years or even the next six months.

Many groups have stipulated that the rise in veganism, especially in teenagers is due to Instagram and social media. Now as a millennial I see that as incredibly reductionist and also quite lazy. It’s so simple to hold social media responsible especially if it is feeding into the already negative rhetoric around the millennial and the obsession around social media. Instagram does play a role but so does YouTube, documentaries and books. Various platforms have played different roles for different people.

A 2015 World Health Organisation study found that red meat was classified as Group 2A and could probably be carcinogenic; meaning that red meat has the potential to cause cancer. The classification however is based on limited evidence. Processed meat however, i.e. bacon, salami, hot dogs etc has been classified as Group 1. This means that there is sufficient evidence that highlights the connection between processed meat and cancer.  This disease is really one of many that has been linked to eating meat and animal products. One of the major risks associated with the consumption of meat is the fact that they carry diseases and that factory farmed animals may contain toxic chemicals.

I’m sure we all managed to hear about the Dutch egg scandal that saw over 500,000 eggs contaminationed with the insecticide called Fipronil. With scandals like this in the media every so often many have decided to take their health into their own hands because for the most part you don’t know what you’re putting into your own body. With constant streams of information like this coming to light, people are asking themselves the question: Is it worth it ? And of course, many have decided against it.

For those that have continued to eat meat this could be for a variety of reasons including taste, lifestyle, training, the list is endless. Choosing to not eat meat is a largely health conscious decision but for others it could possibly be cultural, medical or simply all that they have ever known. This debate is definitely not black and white. With some groups confessing that meat eaters are happier and the other group advocating the rights of animals, just like any other important debate you should educate yourself. The controversy around eating meat requires the very same. No one is going to hold a gun to your head because you decided to opt for the steak but you should at least be aware of what consuming meat products is doing to your system.

Smashed Screen Films are to produce and direct a touching new short drama exploring love, identity and faith from a black woman’s point of view.  The story will be brought to life through three women of colour, Maia Waktins (writer), Chloe Tai (director) and Dominique Toussaint (producer), alongside co-producer and executive producer Nathan Adabadze.

Alpha and Omega will be set amongst the thriving multicultural epicentre of South London and will follow the story of Imani, a budding Rastafarian artist and health-stall owner, who upon learning of her diagnosis of breast cancer begins to question her faith, her relationship with her partner and what it really means to be a Rasta.

The film explores the conflict Imani has when she is forced to consider man-made treatments which goes against her faith and she has to evaluate her holistic lifestyle. This is a universal story about doubting your strength, facing your fears and the importance of relationships.

The film is inspired by writer Maia Watkin’s loss of her Godfather to cancer last year and coming from a Rastafarian family herself, the script is based on a world she knows very well, giving her great insight to not only bring this story to life but play the lead role with authenticity. Ms Watkin’s credits include starring in BBC’s East Enders and Channel 4’s The Educatoror as well as being a 3-time winner of the Monologue Slam UK.

Through this film Ms Watkins hopes to raise awareness of cancer and its devastating consequences, open up dialogue about how people cope with cancer and promote a better representation and understanding of Rastafari culture.

“I wrote this film first and foremost because I wanted to see untold stories on screen.      Having never seen Rastafari culture explored or represented in a positive light before, and coming from a Rastafari background myself, I wanted to portray a journey of consciousness and understanding of self through film, that is so rooted in the culture.”  Maia Watkins

The Lake Foundation is delighted to see this much-needed film produced. We believe it will provide an  engaging and effective way to raise awareness of cancer within the black community, addressing not only the myths but enabling discussion around some of the challenges that black women face when diagnosed with this serious condition.

You can help bring this story to life by supporting their IndieGogo fundraising campaign. You can also support them with in-kind donations or help promote the great work they’re doing. You can find out more about their work on Facebook and Instagram

“Alpha & Omega is a refreshing new perspective on the universal experience of fear, doubt and acceptance. Told through the eyes of a strong independent black woman, so rarely seen in film, but also entrenched in the Rasta culture barely explored in media, we have to make this film!”

In this week’s blog post Stacey Mensah discusses the misleading marketing strategies that influence our decisions about the food we eat using milk as an example.

I’m sure that we can all agree that knowledge is power. I would like to take it one step further however, and suggest that applied knowledge is power, especially when dealing with the various amounts of marketing strategies that tell you what you should be feeding your family and why. Now as this is a safe space so let me share something with you all. I don’t know why but for some reason my millennial brain is attracted to the most outrageous marketing gimmicks. I’ve spent ludicrous amounts on various types of water and that was only because one was in a can, the other was in a box and the last one was black. I mean really, Stacey? Four years of university education and this is what you’re contemplating. But thankfully over the years I’ve grown a lot smarter, and I think society has in general. We are more aware now than ever of what we are putting in our bodies.

An example of a misleading marketing strategy would be that of dairy. Growing up my mum would constantly rattle on about drinking more milk so that I could have strong bones when I grow up. Every child in the playground would be sipping on their milk cartons, or perhaps two, if they had managed to barter with a fellow classmate, everyone was quite blissfully unaware. Fast forward a couple of years and the consumption of milk has dramatically declined. This can be seen in the sale of milk as sales have declined by £240 million. There are now dairy alternatives that many more of us are now opting for. When looking back I realise the power of advertising because I now recall the children’s adverts promoting milk as the key to calcium to the point where many of us, with myself include,  thought that you could only get calcium from milk and boy was I wrong! Did you know that there is more calcium in Kale than there is in milk ? Now that’s something…

As a society I believe we are getting more educated about what we are putting in our bodies. The rise of alternative lifestyles including the vegan diet and the paleo diet shows that people are no longer willing to consume so much processed foods due to the way it makes them feel afterwards and because of ethical reasons. I, myself, can no longer consume dairy as I have a hard time breathing once it has been consumed. It’s all well when you say I’m going to have a cheat day but if you consistently keep eating what doesn’t agree with you, sooner or later you will pay the price. Now this is such a hypocritical statement coming from me as I’m known to be quite indulgent – but let’s roll with it. In ‘theory’ this is what we all should be doing.

A recent documentary called, ‘What The Health’, has got everyone talking and has even converted a few people to veganism. This is a documentary in which they lay bare the secrets of the food industry. This is a must watch for anyone who cares about  what they are putting into their body. I personally found it incredibly insightful and wouldn’t rule the vegan lifestyle out completely. Since watching the documentary I have seen a reduction in my consumption of meat which has been quite surprising to be honest.

With something as complex as diet there is no singular answer. My one piece of advice is this: read, watch, listen. Read articles and studies on the affects of animal products or any foods you want to consume. Just make sure that it’s contributing to your inner health and not simply satisfying a temporary craving. Watch – YouTube is your best friend when it comes to this. You have people across the world who are sharing their stories with you. They are doing the hard work so you don’t have too. And finally, listen to professionals and always seek more than one opinion.

Feel free to comment down below and let us know what you think about the documentary we mentioned…

In this week’s blog our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, who is a freelance journalists, asks the question: ‘Is the constant exposure to negative news affecting our wellbeing?’

I’ve always wondered how my profession affects my health. Is the constant exposure to news, be it good, or bad, affecting me? How often do you watch the news? I’m guessing you watch it in one of five ways. One – you watch it before the school run, trying to become as informed as possible before you hit those school gates; Two – You listen or watch the hourly updates; Three – You find yourself consuming as much information as possible throughout the day; Four – You hope the talk around the lunch table will fill you in on all of the latest details. Or, possibly, you don’t watch the news.

Due to my profession I have to consume a lot of news. And according to some people, because of this, I should be under a desk somewhere, pulling my hair out and shivering in a nocturnal state. Ok, I must admit that’s a bit of an exaggeration on my part but there is truth to this and of course I have a study on hand to back this up. The lovely psychologists over at the University of Sussex found that the less negative news participants heard, the better off their health was. Those that were exposed to the negativity spent more time talking about their worries and persistently thinking about them. It also proved to exacerbate their own personal worries. With every day worries climbing upon the mountain that is life, it’s all too easy to drown yourself in ‘negative news’.

As an individual who has a keen interest in politics I beg to differ with this point of view. I accept that it’s plausible, but I still disagree. Being able to tune out of ‘negative news’ is a luxury. It’s not Western however, as the catastrophic events of the last few months will go to show. The idea of being able to ‘pick n mix’ what we can tune into is an interesting one, as we’re selectively choosing which bits of news – or as I like to call it, someone else’s reality – we can tune into. And of course, yes, it is sad. Seeing events that mark the end of someone’s life or that of a society’s way of life, is hard. Let’s accept that. But choosing to completely stop is simply doing yourself a disservice. Watching the news allows you to discover new things in the world and it also challenges the way you think.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you will know that one of the main things we look to promote is moderation. That glass of wine is not going to hurt you, it’s only once we push towards the barrel do we start to feel it. The same should be said for the news. I mean you don’t want to be that person in the grocery aisle that doesn’t know who our prime minister is! Everyone is different and watching the news 24/7 works only for the few. Instead of ‘watching the news’ and all of the connotations that comes with it lets aim to just be aware.  Aware of what’s going on around us and if we have the power to change it.

As always we welcome your opinions. Comment down below.

See you next week.

On Wednesday 10th May, we attended the second annual Elevate conference, an event that aimed to tackle the issue of inactivity in the UK and provide a forum for cross-sector debate on physical activity, health and wellbeing.

This conference included seminars, a tech lab, a stage area showcasing interesting projects and products, and there was also an exhibition area.

The seminar programme was divided into four streams: Physical Activity for Health and Wellbeing; Inclusivity – Creating an Active Nation;  Future Performance; and The Business of Physical Activity.

Inclusivity

We attended the sessions in the inclusivity stream which started with a keynote debate ‘Tackling Inactivity: What are the priorities?  On the panel of this debate was: Steve Gray, the Chief Executive of Nuffield Health, Steven Ward, Executive Director of UK Active, Professor Robert Copeland, from Sheffield Hallam University and Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Cycling UK.

This was a very interesting discussion with the panellists giving their view on where we need to focus our attention if we are to ensure that exercise is more inclusive.

Steve Gray from Nuffield Health  provided some good background stating that  1 in 3 people in the UK are inactive, 1 out of every  10 deaths  in the UK is linked to an inactive lifestyle and inactivity costs the NHS £1Billion. He also explained that we have more people living in urban areas and most people are very much dependent on technology which has led to a more sedentary lifestyle.

He explained that there is no single solution to address this issue but felt that firstly everyone needs to take accountability and that includes the government, businesses and individuals. He also explored the fact that exercise needs to be more accessible practically (made more affordable, easy to fit into a person’s day) and emotionally (everyone needs to feel that they can do it). Finally he also discussed the fact that we need to look at new approaches that are bespoke, suit the individual and are holistic, so they go beyond just the physical.

It was also interesting to hear from Steve Ward from UK Active who explained that their work focuses on communicating the message that it doesn’t matter how long you move for just as long as you move. This is a simple message that makes exercise less daunting.

One of their main priorities is getting more children and young people active as we currently have the most inactive children compared to  previous  generations.

One area they are working on is making sure that children keep active during the summer holidays. He explained that during term time children tend to be very active but once they go on holiday all physical activity ceases.

Another focus area for them is targeting workplaces and ensuring that businesses have a health and wellbeing offer for their staff.

Paul Tuohy also provided some useful insight explaining that 90% of people in the UK own a bike but only 2% of people commute to work or school regularly. The challenge is how to get people from good intentions to action. He also explained that exercise needs to be made simple and people need to get away from the artificial idea that to be fit they need to be a member of the gym. With regards to cycling, he felt that there was a need to normalise cycling rather than feeding the idea that it is an elite sport. People need to see cycling as fun and something they can do everyday.

Engaging with the  least active

We also really found the seminar session on addressing the least active very interesting. This focused on projects that have explored the motivations, attitudes and lifestyles of the most inactive people.

We first heard from Barry Horn from the English Federation of Disability Sport. He spoke about their project Get Out Get Active which is a sport and active recreation project for people with a disability. He explained the need for the project – people with a disability are the single most inactive people in the nation. He stated that their project looked at reaching inactive groups through outreach, engagement and effective marketing and a major priority for them was ensuring sustainability – making disabled people active for life.

As part of their project they explored what disabled people wanted from an exercise program and 64% wanted to take part in physical activity and sport with non-disabled people, they didn’t want to be excluded.

They have also developed some key principles for getting people active – drive awareness, engage the audience and offer support and reassurance.

In this session we also heard from Age UK about how they are getting the elderly more active and the Women’s Sport Trust on the work they’re doing with girls and women.  We were particularly interested in the presentation by Anun King from Sporting Equals about exercise and ethnicity.  He showed data that looked a physical activity and participation in different ethnic groups and this suggested that black and Asian women were the least active.  He explained that some of the barriers to participation were cultural, attitudes to exercise,  socio-economic and organisational.  To address this Sporting Equals have implemented a number of project including a faith centre model. This focused on people from an Asian background. Anun explained there were a number of benefits of working with faith based organisations, these include their large footfall and they have indoor and outdoor facilities. He discussed other projects which included their cultural events model, community sport zones and ethnic minority media work.

Great day out

This was a really busy day that we thoroughly enjoyed it. We attended so many presentations but just wanted to highlight a few interesting ones in this blog. Other projects that you may find interesting that we learnt about at Elevate were:

• Working with disadvantage communities to remove barriers to participation and get children and young people active
• WHO HEAT Tool
• Tackling inequalities and behaviour change in Birmingham

You can find out more about Elevate on their website and look out for the next event in May 2018.