The state of the health profile of the Jamaican population has led Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton to conclude that the country is in a crisis, as some citizens are now forced to adjust their lifestyles due to health challenges.
Tufton was speaking at Thursday’s launch of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica’s (HFJ’s) ‘Out of Our Schools’ mass media campaign, which is designed to promote healthy eating habits and physical activities among the nation’s children.
The campaign message targets 23 percent of Jamaican children who are said to be overweight and obese, as well as pushes for the removal of unhealthy foods and beverages from schools.
The health minister explained that with the implementation of the school nutrition policy and health campaigns such as the one developed by HFJ, there is still hope for children to make better food and beverage choices for longer life.
“If you examine the health profile of our population, we are in a crisis which, if we were to be blunt, there is actually a lost generation around that crisis — a cohort of citizens who unfortunately will have to spend the rest of their lives trying to make themselves as comfortable as they can but will never be the same in terms of being healthy, in terms of productivity, in terms of the time they can spend with their family and friends,” said Tufton.
“There is almost a lost generation where the horse has bolted, gone through the gate. The most we can do is build out hospital beds to give them a sense of comfort. It is a tragic way to look at it, but it is the reality. Our children still have hope of a better life, a fulsome life, a productive life, a life that has a better probability of existing up until age 70, 75 or beyond,” he added.
Source-Jamaica Observer
