Take total look at better health, official urges

Barbadians will need holistic approaches to managing their health, as the society on a whole seeks to grapple with an epidemic of lifestyle diseases (NCDs), a health official said Wednesday.

Dr Elizabeth Mandeville, Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, made the comment as she addressed participants of the closing session of a health promotion initiative hosted by the Ministry at Solidarity House.

She said their state of health depends on several factors and the emphasis must be placed on not only physical health but other areas which affect health whether directly or indirectly.

“As you know, good health plays a substantial role in everyone’s life, therefore being healthy means a complete state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing, including the absence of illness,” Dr Mandeville said.

“The national burden and threats of diseases, illness, injuries, accidents, violence, and most likely the COVID-19 pandemic, constitute many of the challenges being experienced by Barbados in this era. Diseases and their risk factors lead to increased burdens on individuals, families, and communities. In order to achieve human and social development, health services have an important role to play.

“Their role is in reducing the disease burden, reducing poverty, reducing gaps in health outcomes, and ensuring healthy lives by promoting health for all at all ages, which requires a multidisciplinary, intersectoral approach,” she added.

During the early morning session with fitness instructor Celia Collymore, participants were told they need to be more active and better manage their lifestyles, amid alarming health statistics for the country.

“One out of 10 women in Barbados are physically active, four out of 10 men are physically active,” said Collymore.

“These numbers of course are very alarming, which signals that our country is not as healthy as we think we are. One out of 3 children are overweight or obese. That is a challenge, and we need to get real with ourselves and start to come up with solutions to fix the problems.” (SB)