#BTEditorial – All in for fighting child obesity in schools

Six schools are about to embark on a revolutionary initiative that could be the catalyst for turning the tide on the worrying rise in childhood obesity rates.

In another week, students of Reynold Weekes Primary, The Rock Christian, Christ Church Foundation, Queen’s College, The St Michael School and The Alexandra School will ‘switch-it-up’.

The sale of sugar-sweetened beverages will be restricted or banned and students will have more access to healthier meals at their canteens.

It’s all part of a childhood obesity prevention programme, spearheaded by the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. We applaud this.

And Barbados needs it.

One in three of our children – 31 per cent – is overweight or obese, according to official figures.

According to chief executive officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Michelle Daniel, “the overall situation is serious, especially for our children, whom if they are overweight or obese in their early years and this goes unchecked, is not addressed or nothing is done differently; it is highly improbable that they will be able to avoid succumbing to one or more of the non-communicable diseases in later life”.

Translation: a generation of sick adults.

Obesity is the trigger for illnesses both chronic and acute, the very severe and the deadly, including diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, coronary vascular disease, heart failure, kidney disease, stroke and cancer.

These lifestyle, or non-communicable, diseases are already wreaking havoc. The Heart and Stroke Foundation tells us that NCDs now account for eight out of every ten deaths in Barbados.

We must ramp up action to save ourselves.  And this schools initiative is deserving of our full support.

Indeed, the obesity epidemic is a complex issue driven by several factors. We eat more sugar, imported processed, fat-laden foods; we move far less, with the exception of our fingers, busy tapping away on our smartphones.

And of course, eating healthy in Barbados is not cheap. Cheaper to eat more sugar-filled, salty treats than fruits and vegetables is the common cry.

But certainly, the willpower to create change is there.

A 2018 public opinion poll commissioned by HSF and conducted by the Caribbean Development Research Services shows that Barbadians will readily buy into any initiative to tackle obesity and even more so childhood obesity.

According to key findings,  virtually all Barbadians polled – 99 per cent – believe it is important for Government to take action to reduce obesity and NCDs.

Seventy-two per cent show strong support for policies that will create a healthier environment in the nation’s schools including restricting the sale of unhealthy foods and beverages.

Ninety-two per cent support having a national policy to ensure a healthy school environment.

That’s a good start if we can translate our talk into action.

This initiative is a positive approach to improving our children’s wellbeing by providing healthier options, ramping up physical activity and working across the curriculum to teach pupils how to lead healthy lives.

All schools should be anxious to get on board to do more to teach youngsters how to eat a balanced diet and to encourage an interest in healthy food.

Good health and effective learning go hand in hand; a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. The partnership of parents and school is critical in shaping good health in children.

Whether or not our children attend the pilot schools, we all can start to create the change we so desperately need. Many other nurseries and primary schools have introduced “Water Wednesdays” and “Fruit Fridays”, or other days of the week devoted to encouraging more plant-based food and water consumption.

Parents and children should give these initiatives their full support; they ought not baulk at the outright exclusion of soft drinks and processed foods.

Water and simple juices like lemonade and smoothies using local fruits can make a world of difference.

Well-prepared breadfruit and other vegetables are better choices.

Let’s choose to take small steps to improve our lifestyles now or pay dearly and suffer the consequences as we age. Let the fight against obesity begin in the home.

Healthy foods or health care? It’s a pretty clear choice.