Obesity concerns

obesePermanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Helen Royer is appealing for an all hands on deck approach in dealing with the upsurge in the Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD), particularly obesity.

She said Dominica is experiencing an upsurge in CNCDs and “of significant note is the risk factors of obesity.”

Records show that there is an increasing trend in childhood obesity and there is a significant growth of the disease in the Caribbean within the past five decades.

“This is indicative for a need for drastic steps to curb this problem,” Royer said at a press conference following a Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) 12th Executive Board Meeting which took place at the Fort Young Hotel on Thursday.

She stated there must be a multi-stakeholder approach to the issue.

“It is therefore very clear that a multi-stakeholder approach including the private sector, government and civil society would be mandatory to address these complex problems of CNCD’s and their risk factors,” she said.

The Permanent Secretary also said that there is evidence that the Dominican population is not consuming enough fruits and vegetables.

Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at CARPHA, Dr. Barbatunde Olowokure, remarked that the Caribbean region has seen a rise in obesity and other related CNCD’s in the past five decades.

“More than 60 per cent of Caribbean adults and more than seven per cent of Caribbean children are overweight,” he pointed out. “More than half of the adult population in some of the CARPHA member states suffer from metabolic syndrome. That is the presence of at least three of the four major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.”

He bemoaned that these pose a significant drain on the economies in the Caribbean region and noted that the economic burden of diabetes and high pretension (high blood pressure) alone is estimated at between 1.4 to 8 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In 2011 a World Bank-funded study revealed Dominica has the highest obesity prevalence in the Eastern Caribbean and in 2010 Dominica was ranked 11 of the 20 most obese countries on earth by the World Health Organization.

According to a CARPHA, it is anticipated that by 2019 governments in the region will help in tackling the issue and will be able to:
-Provide children with more supportive environments for physical activity and healthy eating;
-Provide appropriate incentives to discourage unhealthy consumption patterns and to create and encourage healthier dietary choices;
-Empower communities to embrace active living and healthful eating;
-Provide parents and children with accurate information about food, nutrition and exercise to enable informed decisions;
-Provide the necessary care and support to our children who are affected by overweight/obesity and to ensure that they are safeguarded from bias and stigmatization associated with their condition;
-Ensure that systems within Governments have the capacity to mount effective responses and that multi-sectoral cooperation is fostered;
-Have data available for tracking the movement of the epidemic and for measuring and assessing results.

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36 Comments

  1. March 16, 2015

    The staple diet for many Dominicans seems to be packet macoroni cheese and vienna sausage. Yuk disgusting tasting junk. The majority of the women even the young school girls have a big hanging gut in front of them. And now we have pageant promoting and celebrating these over weight women. Ladies belive me there is nothing attractive about a fat woman. Those overweight women will insist on showing as much flesh as possible, please put it away cover up, it is not a pretty site. During the carnival you see the ladies in all their glory. I think that the organisers of those carnival bands where skimpy costume are worn there should be restriction on the weight and appearance of those ladies.

  2. Erickson Fabien
    March 15, 2015

    We cannot change the way we live unless we change the way we THINK!! Many of us are guilty of being careless and indifferent with our health. We think that because we’re not enduring any obviously painful or debilitating symptoms, we are well. We don’t want anyone to tell us anything; we just want to live our lives the way we please. But then, a few years down the road, it becomes payback time! We begin to reap what we have sown. We become seriously ill–and THAT’S the truth hits us. Doctor’s visits, hospitalization, and the cost of medication, all leave us with a mountain of bills. Often, as in the case of heart attacks, it’s too late.
    Thankfully, many of the conditions (for example, diabetes–especially Type II, hypertension and coronary heart disease) CAN be reversed, and cancer risks can be significantly lowered by simply making a few basic lifestyle changes.
    Time to start thinking differently, fellow Dominicans! Our quality of life depends on it.
    (Good call, Mrs. Royer!)

  3. Slim Jim
    March 14, 2015

    I want a fat gyal, I want a rolie polio…

  4. Jen-Jen
    March 14, 2015

    High blood pressure is also is called hypertension not high pretension!

  5. Ron
    March 14, 2015

    Obesity is epidemic worldwide and it’s all about our lifestyle. With the availability of fast food now on our shores it’s not goin to make matters any easier.
    Obesity must be tackled from the schools. When I was growing up after school would be football, rounders up till dark our parents would sometimes have to come find us on the football peaches.
    Coming home last year on holiday I see my community playing field is lighted and the young people are to busy on social media and other forms of entertainment not physically demanding.
    Government and the people need to provide more facilities in community centres to encourage physical activity for the young people and the elderly.

    I would like to offer my services to my people as a qualified and experience Level 4 Diploma in Personal Training, Lower back specialist, boxing coach, cycling coach, group training, 1/1 training, home training, Outdoor training , Nutrition and referral Instructor.
    Ministry of Health and Dominicans…

  6. March 14, 2015

    People have no time to cook their own meal;,kfc,macdo is there open almost 24/24 …what else do we expect? some love being fat ,some promote it,some make money from it because there is a show to encourage it.. some people eat the wrong foods because they must eat what ever they have due to economic situation ,some are simply gready “agoulous” (people who want to eat large potions) ,,we are not thinking that being so fat can be a big problem for the society because,we need large coffins ,larger beds,larger seats in vehicles,more hands in hospitas to take care of a sick patient,more illnesses ,more expenses and an embarassment to every one…when will people learn ,,

  7. March 14, 2015

    It is a shame ghat people are not taking care of themselves please leave the pizzas and chicken alone and go back to the one pot brath or broth whatever.e verybody tetey on belly men and women it looks horribly.i heard a visitor say that DA women looks like muffings big o top and small below i was there at the festival i vould not say anything it was so true they are still pretty but way to large.wake up women and children look after yourselves the future is bleek up to you

  8. Garvey
    March 14, 2015

    Just talk by this Permanent Secretary.
    She can start to act by ridding the shop in the hospital of all those processed and fatty foods.
    What message is the Hospital sending.

  9. The Facts
    March 14, 2015

    Those who love fast foods must try to eat less of them.
    They must drink more water and less pop.
    They must drink citrus drinks from oranges and grapefruits. Eat them and also tangerines and other fruits.
    Eat less canned, processed foods.
    Eat also vegetables, leafy greens as lettuce, cucumbers, sweet peppers, tomatoes, avocados, carrots. God gave us these foods for our health. I can tell you I appreciate these more today than ever.
    Make smoothies with fruits and vegetables. Take time to prepare them. I do not think they should be too thick.
    If you want further information, Google it! :lol: You will get all the information to assist you to know the health benefits of fruits and vegetables.
    Know that obesity is a worldwide problem. Every country has this problem. The reason is lack of the above-mentioned fruits and vegetables.
    Water is necessary for the blood to pump the heart and brains. We must replenish the body with water. Learn to also love drinking water.

  10. The Facts
    March 13, 2015

    Obesity could be due to lack of exercise, excessive eating and drinking. In those days D/cans walked and long distances, to church, school and shop; not today. They walk less because more people have vehicles and there are buses.
    D/ca also has more restaurants and fast food chain outlets. Those tasty foods and their tempting aromas could cause some of them to be addicted to eating them as pizza, KFC, Mac Donald’s, etc.
    Since the advent of TV, computers and Internet, some people spend a lot more time indoors.
    We should know there is a price to pay for progress. This could bring on obesity.
    Then as some people become older, they no longer socialize. This could account for weight gain. Dancing is a form of exercise.
    There are some people who never gain weight. There are others who gain weight quickly. The body retains water which causes weight gain.
    D/ca is a tropical climate and D/cans should get out more and enjoy the sunlight, warmth and also go for walks and swims.

  11. Thinking about it fo
    March 13, 2015

    to be a good wife in DA you have To be cooking food full of grease.e.g of a sunday meal
    Bake macaroni and Cheese Rice spaghetti all starchy.
    Beans and meat with a bomb full of sauce.
    If you give a man a good salade with protien yo ka fâcher
    Then here come thé beers and thé White Oak.thier sports is sit on thé block.the women Drinking harder than men

  12. Righteous
    March 13, 2015

    This trend is really not surprising especially among our women. It was evident in the carnival costume pics that were posted; about 40-50% of the women in those pics were over weight. Much of this trend has to do with the idea of our men liking “thick ting” and thick has gotten a bit out of hand. The Ministry of Health should start a serious campaign to get Dominicans moving again. Move Dominica Campaign, should incorporate an educational program of the benefits of healthy eating habits and exercise. We need to address this issue ASAP less we have an obesity epidemic on our hands which will in turn contribute to an increase in deaths due to Cardiovascular diseases and Diabetes.

    Common Dominicans, Let’s move. Move for our health; move for our life, move for our children, move for our childrens’ children; Move for US. More to come

    One Love Dominicans!!!!

    • The Facts
      March 13, 2015

      I thought as you stated, “thick ting” was outdated and everyone wants to be slim.
      I recall those days when it was OK to be fat and the men loved those women that way. If women especially are skinny, using the word, slim, it was thought that they were sick or did not eat much or were starving.
      Times have changed and people should know that being fat – obese is not normal and is also unhealthy. It could be a slow death.

  13. pom
    March 13, 2015

    madam PS you looking well fat. you should set the example for others to follow. when last you eat a salad?

  14. REAL!!!!
    March 13, 2015

    I remember Doctor Pascal raise this issue a few years ago as to what message we are sending to our youths /the wider community about health when we allow a KFC to be establish right next to The Market in Roseau with has local Fresh healthy fruit, provisions and vegetables.

    He got a tongue lashing for those comments.

    Now it is at our door step…..more to come.

  15. Truth
    March 13, 2015

    Have to admit, I have never seen this many obese folks, children included, in Dominica…..Woooooo Papa! Any man who like his chicks thick, Dominica is definitely paradise ! LoL….
    Get back to nature people!

  16. The truth
    March 13, 2015

    Believe it or not this over-eating and over drinking is a mental health problem. When people are depressed they turn to food and or alcohol, and with all the sugar contained in these substances, coupled with a coressponding lack of excercise, people will put on weight. People self-medicate with Food and alcohol and they feel comforted. Then the more they consume, the more the body calls for the calories. We get high on those goodies during the festive season when we are all equals, but after the “sewo” ends, reality checks in, moods change, there are more frowns than smiles in town and the body yearns for comfort. My countrymen then consume a lot to feel good then go to bed thus increasing their belly fat. The panacea then is to eat and drink in moderation. and cut out the sugars and fats in our diet, and excercise frequently. We hail from the nature Isle, so let’s show it. Also, participation in sports should be mandatory in all schools, barring illnesses . and team up to…

    • The Facts
      March 13, 2015

      Some people think when they are overweight they are healthy. Not so. If they eat too much, it is a sin of gluttony. It is one of the seven deadly sins in spiritual terms but it is attributed to mortal terms for people could get sick and die from being overweight.
      Eating too much is also called greed – greedy.
      The meaning of gluttony is: the act or practice of eating and drinking to excess.
      They must also not eat salty foods; not much salt and sugar.

  17. Concerned Citizen
    March 13, 2015

    For shame!! Of course Dominican and other Caribbean islanders are obese. By allowing Pizza Hut, Subway and KFC to open businesses in Dominica is an abomination! We are blessed with so many natural resources, why are we not taking advantage of them. People have become complacent, lazy. Stop watching mind-numbing American television, go outside, run and play. Go swimming, hiking. Whatever happened to all the amazing fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and natural juices that are free for all the taking. Its a sorry state we are in when the people have to depend on American junk food to feed themselves and their children. Wake up Dominicans. Like I said before, so outside and play, and when you come back inside eat an orange or a banana before your meal instead of that junk from Subway!!

    • Righteous
      March 15, 2015

      @Concerned Citizen you cannot blame an entrepreneur for opening a business. As humans, we have “A Will to Chose”. It is up to us to make that choice. No one is forcing anyone to go to KFC, Pizza Hut or Subway. Bottom line we need to make better choices. As you have pointed out, “go outside and play, and when you come back inside eat an orange or a banana before your meal instead of that junk from Subway!!” So there you have it; Make better choices. The purpose of most businesses is to make a profit no matter what the consequences. So what we need to do is to empower our people to make better choices in life life when it comes to our health.

      One Love Dominicans!!!

  18. derp
    March 13, 2015

    Dominican’s just lazy they don’t want to exercise, e.g. most times I’m like let’s go hiking or w/e they are like what boy you made we can take bus… or Boiling Lake for example they are like once, and never again, Boiling Lake not even heard if you keep in shape, really sad, I left Dominica for 4 years came back and the majority of them are fat I was like o my goodness and they think fat is nice omw

  19. Solution
    March 13, 2015

    Of course, its all well and good to identify the problems or symptoms of the diseases, but finding the solutions is key. We have heard the scientist and doctors say that exercise and diet are critical, but everyone, including kids ought the look at taking a herb that is currently being used all over the world not just as a nutrition supplement but also an important factor in enabling users to loose weigh and remain healthy. It’s called MORINGA, and it is being produced and sold here in Dominica. Its available in the main super markets and users can do their research on the internet. What a wonderful gift from God.

  20. Tou twelle
    March 13, 2015

    We want development…. We now have to pay for development. Not directly with $$$ but indirectly with our health as one of them. Before it was obvious, one would walk to school to St Joseph from Layou or Mero; now there is a bus service. Fruits would be eaten on the way; but travelling on a bus how can we stop to eat fruits. That can be said for all over Dominica. No child was obese in our time!!! Maybe malnourished but those would be a small minority. Well now…. we got to pay for our fastness, trying to imitate American society. Quicker death is the result.

  21. hmmm
    March 13, 2015

    “In 2011 a World Bank-funded study revealed Dominica has the highest obesity prevalence in the Eastern Caribbean,”

    Nature islanders… the fattest in this region smh

    People just LAZY

  22. Zandoli
    March 13, 2015

    Now that you have given your speech, what happens next.

    In the Caribbean our bureaucrats and politicians are good at making speeches and as soon as the conference is over, nothing happens.

    We don’t need the World Bank to tell us that we are getting fat. We see it every day. Since we started becoming better educated, we are able to afford more of the things that make us sedentary. We drive instead of walking.

    Back in the early days, we had no TV, so we found other ways to entertain ourselves. That involved more physical activity. We buy video games for our children instead of them going to play sports. Many of the sports fields are no longer being maintained, so kids have nowhere to play.

    Instead of eating local foods, we flock to the fast food ourlets to buy prepared food.

    This is not rocket science folks. We are trying to emulate developed countries because we have been conditioned to think they live better then we do. But with that comes the health problems.

    • out of south city
      March 13, 2015

      Yes, Zandoli, with development comes a price. What we think is development is killing us. No longer do we want to plant like our foreparents did. We have given up on the natural and have embraced the unnatural, including the fast food, instead of the produce, the ramen, the sodas, instead of water and lime juice, the fish instead of the imported chicken. We must stop buying from Kentucky Fried Chicken and rear our own like we used to. There is a lot of land available and we must go back to the earth so that we can receive the nutrients that we need to survive. The natural things are in the earth but it seems like we have turned our backs on that and think that we don’t have to work hard to eat.
      I was just sharing with someone that when we were young, the elders would go to their garden every day and they would eat what they planted. They got their exercise and their diet was healthy. Therefore, they lived a longer life because all these diseases were not as common as they are now.

  23. grell
    March 13, 2015

    Our people have become lazy,the almighty blessed us with the rich soil and the population has moved away from growing and eating the fruits.Fast food has become an epedemic in our beloved country.All the processed food that is being consumed daily is alarming,the parents rathe give the kids chubby and caprisun.Whereas we have oranges and tangerine in abundance.My last visit home i took a walk on the bayfront and to see the families feasting away on kfc just smh.People go back to your eating habits,these foods are going to wipe you all out.

  24. Stirling Moss
    March 13, 2015

    Stop selling lycra clothes would be a start……

  25. Irony
    March 13, 2015

    The irony of this is am reading this and under the article is an advertisement for KFC….

    • interested
      March 13, 2015

      KFC AD below Obesity concerns, OMG

    • Typical report.
      March 13, 2015

      My girlfriend visited home recently and some friends invited her out x2 once to KFC & the next was to a Chinese place.
      They did not eat on both occasions she declined. They earlier commended her on her physique.
      She told them that’s how she maintains it irony is she lives in NYC where she takes delight in being a vegetarian and wish she could do things of her youth. example picking limes ,mangoes bananas etc directly from her Laplaine backyard.

  26. Simple Solutions
    March 13, 2015

    Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Helen Royer is appealing for an all hands on deck approach in dealing with the upsurge in the Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD), particularly obesity.
    Miss/Mrs Helen Royer , We are more than aware of the genesis of the plague. Here is a simple solution
    first things first. D/cans have to look at the issue of globalization and regionalization.
    As a youth in high school .The establishments preached :”grow what you eat & eat what you grow” This has be come a thing of the pass.
    Bold steps have to be taken by the establishment to curb the rise of this epidermic.
    Therein lies the function of ur ministry. That dept has to be effective by work with Agri , Trade & sports etc.
    The ministry ought to demand first all its ministers meet healthy standards BMI habit curbing etc as ej of how a nation can become healthy. The leaders ought to be ejs.
    There should be an experiment with the ministers. Ej reaching goals in wt loss…

  27. Ras Ju
    March 13, 2015

    Oh dear!
    These stats are a bit grim.

  28. yes
    March 13, 2015

    Shame on Dominica.
    They rather have KFC and Pizza and sunny delight
    No one walks anymore, it seems like there is twice the number of cars than people. Growing up in DA walking was the norm, walk to SMA and back, walk back in the afternoon for activities or whatever and back, walk to ma dominique or tete back to good will, walk to Harden thomas and back to goodwill, who does that anymore?, no one, picking up all the american habits, fast junky food, so they pay the price.
    Exercising was the norm, we did so much of it we were not even aware we did.
    wake up Dominicans, life is worth nothing without health.
    you are what you eat and you became what your parents ate

  29. george Fontaine
    March 13, 2015

    We need a total mentality remake. Dominica is a country where we have always celebrated fat. The “big belly” man in your illustration was considered back in the day as a sign of wealth and wellness, “you looking nice and fat, boy “…Today, we proudly have big and bold pageants that concentrate on not discriminating against the full figured than encouraging to eat better and less..
    The men have acquired tastes for “Fick” women. Meanwhile, people die at very young ages as fat as possible.

    • Tdot
      March 13, 2015

      OMG! U so said it right! Went home recently and I couldn’t believe my hears when I heard the term “fat and nice.” Like really?
      And sadly saw a friend of mine In good shape actually eating everything to be “fick”… “put on weight.” Sadly it’s merely a year and she’s complaining about her size, because she fully surplus her aim and even had the guts to mention to me that there’s a doctor who performs operation somewhat like liposuction she’s thinking of visiting him. She’s trying diet and it’s not working. The thought of all this is just so disgusting and I fully told her so.
      Dominicans need to step their game up and try to stick local and maintain a healthy diet still. This is sad news straight up!

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