‘Jamaica Moves’ to be launched in school’s island wide

The Ministry of Health's flagship Jamaica Moves programme is to be rolled out in schools across the island.

Introduced last year, Jamaica Moves is designed to get persons more active and the Ministry of Education has decided to get involved.

'As adults and policymakers, we have the responsibility to protect our children, to ensure that they look before they cross the road, they study and, of course, that they take responsibility for their health," said Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton.

"We, however, need to guide them in this area because if not, it will deprive them later in life, as they have to face the possibility of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, stroke and even certain cancers," added Tufton.

The Jamaica Moves roll-out in schools, which will champion the cause and tackle obesity in children, is slated to begin in April 2018.

The programme will target parents, educators and students, and will educate and engage them on the role healthy eating and physical activity play in a child's long-term development.

The programme will also seek to regulate and enforce regulations that lead to healthier schools through the introduction of physical education after third form, and strong nutritional policies to guide concessionaires.

obesity among children

Childhood obesity in Jamaica continues to grow at a rapid rate with the 2017 World Health Organization Global School-Based Student Health Survey showing that the obesity rates in boys have almost doubled since 2010, from 5.3 per cent to 10.3 per cent, a 94 per cent increase.

The girls are not far behind, with obesity rates increasing from 6.7 per cent to 9.9 per cent, a 47 per cent increase.

It is against this background that Minister of Education Ruel Reid has endorsed the programme.

"The link between education and health is one that we cannot underestimate the value of. As a country, we have to start to nip unhealthy consumption habits among our children from an early age.

"Additionally, we need more resources in the Jamaican education system that enables our children to learn specifically about skills-based health education so that they can make critical choices that will enable them to opt for a healthier lifestyle," said Reid.

Tufton, who has welcomed the partnership, said, 'It is important that this roll-out is done in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, which has, and continues to, support this programme 100 per cent.

"The institution comes with the knowledge of the educational system and has strong influences on the key stakeholders, who must be involved. There is no way we could tackle obesity in schools without them.

Appeal to corporate Jamaica

Health Dr Christopher Tufton in calling on corporate entities which have influence in the market to become more socially aware of the messages they are using to target children.

As the ministry gets ready to roll out its Jamaica Moves programme in schools, Tufton says it needs corporate support.

"No programme can be successful and sustainable without partnerships. We want corporate entities to reach out to the ministry and partner with us in spreading this uniformed message under the Jamaica Moves programme.

"We also want to encourage them to use their own platforms to raise awareness on the importance of healthy eating and physical activity which will, in the end, benefit their children, our children, their future and, of course, our entire country," said Tufton.