Barbadians and visitors to the island who will be participating in the climax of the 2022 Crop Over season this weekend are being advised to stay hydrated, drink responsibly, wear sunblock, and not to attend events if they are feeling unwell.
This is some of the advice coming from General Practitioner Dr Dionne Johnson, who urged Barbadians to do what is necessary to have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
She told Barbados TODAY that party goers and spectators, who intend to be on the road Kadooment Day, must maintain their baseline hydration. She explained that the amount of water a person should be consuming per day depends on their body weight.
“You want to start by taking your weight and dividing it by two and that gives you the number of ounces of water you should drink for the day. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds you should divide that by two and that gives you 70 ounces which is equivalent of two liters per day. So you want to make sure that you go into Crop Over weekend already hydrated to your baseline,” she said.
Dr Johnson added that those attending the “vigorous” events, including Grand Kadooment and Fore Day Morning, must increase their water intake. She said these persons should be consuming an additional 350 milliliters for every half hour while participating in the vigorous activity.
“Bear in mind that you will lose more than just water through sweat, so you also have to consider using rehydration solutions, as well as drinks that can rehydrate you, such as Gatorade.
“And remember too that alcohol can worsen dehydration, so if you are drinking you are going to have to increase your water intake to compensate for the excess water that you are going to lose from drinking alcohol.
“Be mindful of the drinks, such as the stimulant drinks, those are not really rehydration, those are energy drinks and they can give you energy, but they also can over stimulate you, which is something you don’t want to have when you are dehydrated or could potentially be dehydrated,” Dr Johnson said.
The medical practitioner also advised persons to get adequate rest before and after attending events. She stressed that rest allows the body to repair itself.
Dr Johnson also encouraged party goers to use face and body sunblock with at least an SPF of 30, including on their scalp and all other body parts that will be exposed to the sun.
“Make sure you wear appropriate shoes. Some of the injuries we see after Crop Over events, people have injured their nails, people lose toenails, so you want to make sure that you are wearing shoes that have space and also will give you some support,” she said.
“This is our first Crop Over since the pandemic. Social distancing is practically impossible. So stay as safe as possible. If you know that you feel unwell, be considerate of others and sit the event out. For those of you who are going to go, make sure that you carry sanitizer with you wherever you go and where practical use your masks.
“Avoid risky behaviours like sharing cups and straws while you are on the road and also make sure that you just don’t overdo it with the alcohol because when you are impaired your decision-making skills are also impaired and you can put yourself in some risky situations.
“If you are having pains you can consider soaking your feet in some warm salt water with Epsom salts. And you can use some over the counter medication, painkillers, paracetamol, once you have no allergies or any contraindications to using those painkillers”. (AH)
