Are you good with words? Are you creative? Then we want to hear from you!

We’re inviting residents of Nevis to take part in our tagline/slogan competition for the National Weight Loss Campaign.

The competition is open to all residents of Nevis. Entries should be clear, concise, catchy and easy to understand. They must also appeal to a wide audience and follow the basic guidelines below:

• Convey the sentiment of the public coming together, taking a stance and making a change to get healthy and lose weight.
• The slogan must be seven words or less
• The slogan must rhyme
• The slogan must be submitted by 5pm on  21st December 2018

You can submit your entry in any of the following ways:

• Via a video on social media tagging @fitgames_inc on Instagram or @fitwellnessnevis on Facebook
• Emailing the slogan to info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com
• Sending the slogan via a WhatsApp message to 667 0079

A winner will be selected, and this slogan will be used for the National Weight Loss Campaign.  Three runners up will also be selected, and these slogans will be used throughout the campaign on social media.

There will also be a cash prize of $500EC, sponsored by the FIT Wellness Centre, for the winner.

More Information

For further information please contact Abi Begho by calling 667 0079 or emailing info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com

About the National Weight Loss Campaign

The National Weight Loss Campaign starts in January 2019 and aims to help residents of Nevis lose weight through a fun six-month weight loss challenge that will support participants in getting active and eating a healthier diet. Participants will be guided through the six-month period with advice, tips, healthy recipes, fun events and one-to-one support. There will also be prizes for the person who loses the most weight in their category, recognition of those who have succeeded in losing their target weight and we’ll be following specific people on their weight loss journey.

We are so happy to announce that registration for the F.I.T. National Weight Loss Campaign in Nevis is open!

The National Weight Loss Campaign starts in January 2019 and aims to help residents of Nevis lose weight through a fun six-month weight loss challenge that will support participants in getting active and eating a healthier diet. Participants will be guided through the six-month period with advice, tips, healthy recipes, fun events and one-to-one support. There will also be prizes for the person who loses the most weight in their category, recognition of those who have succeeded in losing their target weight and we’ll be following specific people on their weight loss journey.

Technology will play an important role in the campaign and we’ll be creating a web-based health portal where participants can come together, support each other, ask questions, share pictures and videos and receive tips and advice from experts in health and fitness. The health portal will consist of a forum and a chat facility, so we can keep in touch with all participants and provide them with support every step of the way.

How To Register for the National Weight Loss Campaign

The National Weight Loss Campaign is open to everyone in Nevis – old, young, male and female. If an individual would like to lose weight or would like some support in adopting a healthier lifestyle then they are welcome to take part.

The public can register for the campaign by emailing admin@fitwellnesscenter.com or calling (869)-662-8749

Businesses Can Get Involved Too

Businesses are strongly encouraged to take part in the National Weight Loss Campaign by either registering a team of their staff to get involved in the six-month weight loss challenge or they can play an instrumental role in improving the health and wellbeing of our community by becoming a corporate partner or sponsor.

For more information about this, businesses in Nevis can contact David Walwyn by email  or phone (869)-662-8749

On 20^th November 2018, we were on the beautiful island of Barbados for the Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s ‘Beyond the Call to Action Event: Towards School Policies in Support of Childhood Obesity Prevention.’

This event marked the end of the HCC’s childhood obesity prevention campaign. One of the key parts of this campaign was the HCC’s childhood obesity prevention petition (Call to Action) which called on Heads of Government to enact any of the following policies and legislation which have been demonstrated as effective measures to combat childhood  obesity:

• Imposition of a tax of not less than 20% on Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) and use tax revenue for NCD prevention and control.
• Banning the sale, promotion and marketing of SSBs, and unhealthy foods and beverages in and around schools.
• Mandatory physical activity in all primary and secondary schools
• Adoption and application of regional standards for nutritional and front of package labelling of foods and beverages.
• Banning the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children (includes non-school environments)
• Enacting legislation related to The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

This event brought together a wide cross section of national and regional stakeholders to celebrate the achievements of the campaign and to showcase all the great work being conducted across the Caribbean to tackle childhood obesity. We heard from speakers from the Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica and Trinidad. It was particularly interesting listening to Dr Simone Spence’s presentation explaining Jamaica Moves’ new initiative targeting schools.

Youth Involvement

It was also very nice to see young people actively participating in this event. Young people took part in a parallel youth session led by Krystal Boyea, the HCC’s Youth Advocate. In this session young people discussed the solutions and barriers to creating a healthy school environment and also explored the types of products sold in schools and how the school environment influences behaviour and health.

We Took Part in a Panel Discussion

We had the pleasure of taking part in a panel discussion with other CSOs including the Antigua and Barbuda Diabetes Association,  the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados,  the Grenada NCD Commission, the St Lucia Diabetes and Hypertension Association and the Heart Foundation of Jamaica about the importance of coalitions and collaborations in addressing critical issues such as childhood obesity. We had an interesting discussion, facilitated by Sir Trevor Hassell.

We really enjoyed this event and would like to thank the HCC for inviting us to take part in the panel discussion. We look forward to hearing more about the work being conducted across the Caribbean to tackle childhood obesity and making our own small contribution to this effort.

 

In October 2018,  we began consulting with the F.I.T. Wellness Center in Nevis to assist with the development and implementation of their NCD Prevention Action Plan, part of their NCD Prevention Programme.

On 27^th November 2018, we were delighted to join F.I.T. in the launch of their NCD Prevention Action Plan and  the announcement of their upcoming National Weight Loss Campaign.

The launch took the form of a press conference and was attended by the major media outlets in Nevis. The event was chaired by Mr David Walwyn, Director of the F.I.T Wellness Center and featured on the panel were:

• Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister for Health, who provided an overview of NCDs in Nevis
• Dr Judy Nisbett, Chief Medical Officer for Nevis, who discussed the cost of NCDs, this included direct and indirect costs as well as the impact NCDs have on families
• Nadine Carty-Caines, Programme Coordinator, Health Promotion Unit, Ministry of Health, who took the press through all the statistics on NCDs in Nevis
• Dr Raymond Moving, Internal Medicine, Alexandra Hospital, who explained the complications of NCDs focusing particularly on diabetes
• Dr Samir Anadkat, Obesity and Diabetes Specialist, Professor (Neuroscience & Anatomy), Medical University of Americas, Nevis, who explored prevention and addressed some of the myths around weight loss
• David Walwyn, Director, F.I.T. Wellness Centre, who spoke about F.I.T’s approach to tackling NCDs in Nevis
• Abi Begho, Public Health Project Manager, Lake Health and Wellbeing, who discussed the upcoming National Weight Loss Campaign and also announced the slogan competition for the campaign

Why Focus on NCDs?

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer are a major health challenge in St Kitts and Nevis with 83% of deaths in the Federation being due to these conditions.

One of the key factors driving NCDs in St Kitts and Nevis is the high rate of obesity. In 2012, PAHO reported that 32.5% of secondary school children in St Kitts and Nevis were overweight and 14.4% were obese and a more recent report published by UNICEF in 2017 stated that 26% of children in St Kitts and Nevis were obese. We know that children who are overweight or obese are more likely to become overweight or obese adults and this puts them at a high risk of developing NCDs like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Obesity rates in St Kitts and Nevis in adults aged 25 to 64 is high with a 2008 study stating that 33.5% of adults in this age group were overweight and 45% were obese.

F.I.T. has developed its answer to NCDs by developing its NCD Prevention Action Plan which will focus on supporting residents of Nevis to get fit, healthy and lose weight, and thus reduce their risk of developing an NCD. A core part of the action plan is the National Weight Loss Campaign which will start in January 2019.

The National Weight Loss Campaign

The National Weight Loss Campaign aims to help residents of Nevis lose weight through a fun six-month weight loss challenge that will support participants in getting active and eating a healthier diet. Participants will be guided through the six-month period with advice, tips, healthy recipes, fun events and one-to-one support. There will also be prizes for the person who loses the most weight in their category, recognition of those who have succeeded in losing their target weight and we’ll be following specific people on their weight loss journey.

Technology will play an important role in the campaign and we’ll be creating a web-based health portal where participants can come together, support each other, ask questions, share pictures and videos and receive tips and advice from experts in health and fitness. The health portal will consist of a forum and a chat facility, so we can keep in touch with all participants and provide them with support every step of the way.

How The Public Can Get Involved in the National Weight Loss Campaign

The National Weight Loss Campaign is open to everyone in Nevis – old, young, male and female. If an individual would like to lose weight or would like some support in adopting a healthier lifestyle then they are welcome to take part.

The public can register for the campaign by emailing admin@fitwellnesscenter.com or calling (869)-662-8749

Businesses Can Get Involved Too

Businesses are strongly encouraged to take part in the National Weight Loss Campaign by either registering a team of their staff to get involved in the six-month weight loss challenge or they can play an instrumental role in improving the health and wellbeing of our community by becoming a corporate partner or sponsor.

For more information about this, businesses in Nevis can contact David Walwyn by email  or phone (869)-662-8749.

Who is Behind this Initiative?

The National Weight Loss Campaign is an initiative of the FIT Wellness Center led by Mr David Walwyn with support from the Ministry of Health and Lake Health and Wellbeing

More Information

F.I.T. Wellness Center 
Website www.fitwellnesscenter.com
Phone number: 9869) 469-3481 or (869) 662-8749
Email: admin@fitwellnesscenter.com

Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Unit
Phone: (869) 469-5521, (869) 469-8010, (869) 469-7470
Email: healthpromotion@niagov.com

Lake Health and Wellbeing
Website: www.lakehealthandwellbeing.com
Phone: (869) 667 0079
Email: info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com

On 1st November 2018, the Ministry of Health in St Kitts held a public consultation on SSB taxation. During this consultation they provided information on their proposed approach to sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation. Lake Health and Wellbeing supports the government’s plans to tax SSBs and has published a position statement outlining our views on this topic.

SSB Taxation

The taxation of SSBs has been utilised as a method of tackling obesity by creating a deterrent which leads to a reduction in the purchase and consumption of SSBs.

Taxation of SSBs has three important aims. The first it to incentivise manufacturers to reformulate or replace their products to create healthier options, the second is to deter the public from purchasing and consuming SSBs by making them unaffordable and the third is to raise funds from the tax revenue that can be used to support initiatives aimed at improving the health of the public.

Caribbean Children’s SSB Consumption

Children in the Caribbean drink large quantities of SSBs putting them at risk of becoming obese or overweight.  Caribbean children’s frequency of consuming SSBs was found to be amongst the highest out of 187 countries. Furthermore, teenagers (12 to 15-year olds) in Barbados, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago reported drinking SSBs three times or more a day, and in St Kitts and Nevis it was found that children consumed at least one carbonated soft drink a day.

SSB Consumption and Obesity

This high consumption of SSBs has been linked to weight gain and obesity in adults and children, and obesity or being overweight increases a person’s risk of developing a number of non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer.

Obesity is a significant challenge 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. When looking at adults in St Kitts and Nevis, the  PAHO study reported that 34% of adults were overweight and 45% were obese.

Tackling Obesity

In order to address the high rate of obesity in St Kitts and Nevis, a number of strategies are required and reducing the public’s consumption of SSBs by introducing a tax is just one of many approaches.

Our Position Statement

To find out more about the St Kitts Ministry of Health’s approach to SSB taxation and our position on this approach. You can download our position statement below.

Document: Taxing SSBs in St Kitts: A Position Statement

Published by: Lake Health and Wellbeing

Date: 15th November 2018

Download here: SSB Taxation Position Statement

 

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References

1. UNICEF, Situation Analysis of Children in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area and the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, Christ Church, Barbados, 2017
2. PAHO, Health in the Americas, 2012: St Kitts and Nevis, PAHO, 2012
3. Xuereb, G. (2017). Sugar Sweetened Beverages Taxes in the Caribbean – Progress and Challenges.
4. Yang, L. et al. (2017). Consumption of Carbonated Soft Drinks Among Young Adolescents Aged 12 to 15 Years in 53 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.  American journal of public health, 107(7), pp 1095-1100.

 

We’re so delighted to have been invited to take part in a panel discussion at the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados’ event on childhood obesity.

This event will take place at the beautiful Hilton Hotel in Barbados on 20th November in recognition of Universal Children’s Day and the official end of the HCC’s childhood obesity prevention campaign.

One of the key parts of this campaign was the HCC’s childhood obesity prevention petition which called on our Heads of Government to enact any of the following policies and legislation which have been demonstrated as effective measures to combat childhood  obesity:

• Imposition of a tax of not less than 20% on Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) and use tax revenue for NCD prevention and control.
• Banning the sale, promotion and marketing of SSBs, and unhealthy foods and beverages in and around schools.
• Mandatory physical activity in all primary and secondary schools
• Adoption and application of regional standards for nutritional and front of package labelling of foods and beverages.
• Banning the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children (includes non-school environments)
• Enacting legislation related to The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

This event will officially close the petition and campaign by bringing together a wide cross section of national and regional stakeholders to celebrate the achievements of the campaign and to chart the way forward.

The meeting will provide a unique opportunity for organizations across the Caribbean, who took part in the campaign, to discuss the progress made over the course of the campaign and share national and regional successes and lessons learned in childhood obesity prevention advocacy platforms.

This one-day forum will also serve to leverage the energy and momentum of the past seven months and redirect it towards focussed evidence-based advocacy in support of creating healthy school environments across the Caribbean.

Lake Health and Wellbeing, as participant of the campaign and a member of the campaign’s civil society action team has been invited to take part in a panel discussion on the importance of coalitions and CSO collaboration around critical issues such as childhood obesity.

We’re very much looking forward to taking part in this very important event and are honoured to have been invited to participate – a big thank you to the HCC and HSFB for the invitation.

 

Following the launch of Caribbean Moves, a new initiative based on the successful Jamaica Moves campaign, the Ministry of Health and Wellness in Barbados launched their Barbados Moves campaign.

The launch took place on 20^th October 2018 and was led by Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic, Barbados’ Minister of Health and Wellness. In attendance was Dr Christopher Tufton Jamaica’s health minister, who said:

‘Caribbean Moves’ is an attempt to mobilise the region one country at a time, and one person at a time through taking personal responsibility for your health and by doing the things that are responsible for a healthy life.

 

“Finally, it’s about uniting the Caribbean through one message, one method, one approach and by extension strengthening us as a people.”

Barbados Moves will form the island’s national approach to tackling non-communicable diseases and will focus on three key areas, similar to Jamaica Moves,  which are physical activity, healthy eating and knowing your health status.

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Image Credit: Barbados Moves (Instagram)

Our Chronic Disease Self-Management Course which was due to start on 2^nd October 2018 has been postponed until November. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused and will release the November dates soon.

If you would like further information or would like to book a space on to the course, please email events@lakehealthandwellbeing.com

In the meantime, below is video that discusses the benefits of attending a chronic disease self-management course.

At the thirty-ninth regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on 4-6^th July, leaders made a commitment to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Caribbean.

Six priority areas were endorsed. These included:

• Establishing and maintaining a smoke-free status for the region
• Implementing policies geared to preventing childhood obesity including health-promoting school environments and improving front-of-package labelling
• Promoting the elimination of cervical cancer
• Support for mitigating post-disaster vulnerabilities related to NCDS, particularly nutrition, treatment and care
• Increasing international financing and technical support
• Strengthening accountability through national coordinating mechanisms

Leaders of the Caribbean discussed the upcoming UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases which will be held in September. The theme of this meeting is: scaling up multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral responses to the prevention and control of NCDs. It was felt that CARICOM member states should be well-represented at this meeting especially as, in 2007, CARICOM led the way on NCDs by hosting the first ever summit on NCDs.  This put the spotlight on this area leading to NCDs being included on the UN Development Agenda.

About CARICOM

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) consists of a group of 20 states, from the Bahamas in the north to Suriname and Guyana in the south, working together under four main pillars:  economic integration, foreign policy coordination, human and social development and security. You can find out more about the work of CARICOM here.

More Information

For more information about the 39^th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM held in July you can visit their website here or you can watch the videos below.

Opening Ceremony of the Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government

Closing Press Conference of the Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government

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Picture Credit: CARICOM

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition published an excellent report on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and trade policy in the Caribbean. This briefing document discusses how trade policies affect the public’s health and what needs to be done to ensure that policies have a positive effect on the health of countries’ citizens.

The report clearly explains, with examples, how specific policies can influence our health. For example, low taxes on items like sugary drinks, alcohol, tobacco and processed foods lowers their cost enticing the public to purchase them. The consumption of these items, over time, increases our risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as  type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The report details how policies like this in the Caribbean have had a detrimental effect with families shifting from a traditional plant-based, home-made diet to a processed, meat-based diet.

The report states that the Caribbean shockingly has the highest mortality due to NCDs in the Americas,  the Caribbean has some of the highest rates of obesity and there are significant levels of tobacco use and binge drinking.  There is an urgent need to address these issues and exploring trade policies is just one strategy that can be introduced to improve the public’s health.

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s report explores policies around three main areas:

• Unhealthy/healthy food
• Alcohol
• Cigarettes

These recommendations are based on global approaches such as the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, the WHO strategy to reduce alcohol consumption and the ICN2 Framework for Action. The HCC’s recommendations for the Caribbean are illustrated below.

This report was an excellent, comprehensive, clear and informative report that gives concrete actions that can be taken to tackle NCDs through policy changes.

You can download the report below.