JAMAICA is an unhealthy nation, and its citizens need to do more if the mission to achieve healthy lifestyles is to become a reality, a leading health ministry official has said.

Medical epidemiologist, chronic disease and injuries prevention official Dr Tamu Davidson said that although there has been improvement in some areas of health, including longevity, data has shown that Jamaicans remain largely unhealthy, due in large measure to other factors that have not been adequately addressed.

“No, not based on the statistics,” responded Dr Davidson to a question posed about whether or not Jamaica was a healthy nation, during the weekly Monday Exchange with Jamaica Observer editors and reporters held at the newspaper’s Beechwood Avenue headquarters in Kingston yesterday.

“We have been able to tackle infectious diseases, we are living longer, but we have the chronic diseases that we need to address. So, if we are going to be a healthy nation we are going to have to work together to get this done,” Dr Davidson said.

The senior health official said that Jamaicans need to get more physically involved in improving their own health, adding that there were simple innovative ideas that could be introduced to boost healthy lifestyles.

“I would go by our data which shows tha,t basically from 2000-2008, obesity is increasing, physical inactivity increasing, tobacco use declining in adults, but increasing, in our last survey last year in adolescents. So we have an epidemic that we

are facing.

“… So we want to get people moving. Turn on the radio and dance for an hour, that might be a way to get the population moving, so the message is ‘Move Jamaica’.

“Having made steps, we have a policy in place, we have a plan, because we have to create a road map. If we are going to see the gains in 15 years we must have a road map, and this is what we are creating, so that by the time we reach 15 years, through these initiatives, you will see the gains.

“The gains in chronic disease over 15-30 years are going to be in smaller percentage than we are used to. There is a lot going on in terms of development, but there are a lot of cost-effective best buys, so we know we are talking about physical activity when we are promoting it in the wider sphere, not physical exercise which is planned,” Dr Davidson said.

In supporting Dr Davidson, chief executive officer of the National Health Fund (NHF) Hugh Lawson, who along with project manager of the Environmental Health Foundation Latoya Aquart were the other guests at the Exchange, stated that physical inactivity among Jamaicans was taking its toll on the society.

“Physical inactivity is the worse chronic disease that we have,” he said.

“Like I said at a previous event, if you don’t find time for physical activity you will find time for illness,” Lawson stated.

Dr Davidson, meanwhile, said that a renewed effort should be made to place a higher emphasis on physical activity in educational institutions.

“One of the things coming out of the Caricom Summit on chronic diseases in 2007, and later at the UN Summit, was the need for us to have physical activity right throughout the school years and right up to tertiary levels. When we are talking about physical activity too, from a population level, we are not just talking about putting on your gym clothes. There are many things that can be done to redesign your communities.

“There are examples in Latin America and in Trinidad where they block off a road and have persons cycling every Sunday, so car-free Sunday, persons can cycle, persons can walk to encourage physical activity,” she said

The Ministry of Health and the NHF are collaborating to implement several programmes and projects aimed at achieving healthier lifestyles among the Jamaican population.

Dr Davidson and Lawson stated that work was well advanced to further sensitise the people of the importance of living healthy, which would eventually redound to the benefit of the nation, based upon budgetary considerations.

“There is a higher awareness around healthy lifestyle. Jamaicans want to be healthy, we want to be free of pain and suffering, we want to live longer and look younger. We are working together to build on this awareness and to get Jamaica moving forward,” Dr Davidson said.

Lawson said that the NHF was on the ball in improving existing programmes and introducing new ones, all aimed at better living.

“The NHF has several programmes. We have a work it out challenge programme for corporate Jamaica and at last count we had 107 companies participating. We also have something within the schools — a hoola-hoop competition that has been well received.

“What we are looking for this year is to drive a community programme where we go into the inner communities and engage them to let them start walking. We are looking at putting up multi-purpose courts in the communities, educating the community leaders and have prevention clinics [in the communities],” Lawson said.