By: E. Williams
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JULY 8TH 2017 – Caribbean leaders have received a message from Mr Michael Bloomberg ensuring his support and welcomed the interest expressed by the Bloomberg Foundation in NCD Prevention in the Region.
During the just concluded meeting in Grenada, Heads of Government noted that this year was the Tenth Anniversary of the seminal CARICOM Heads of Government NCD Summit and Declaration “Uniting to Stop the Epidemic of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)”.
“They recognised that the Community had not sufficiently advanced the recommended actions with regard to the Declaration and in that regard recommitted themselves to the promotion of healthy lifestyles to combat the epidemic of NCDs,” said the communiqué.
The Heads of Government supported the use of inter-sectoral approaches to address current health challenges and noted with concern that obesity in children represented the greatest threat to the health of future generations with the level of overweight and obesity being more than 30 % in both primary and secondary school populations in many Member States.
“Heads of Government also supported the strengthening of domestic food production along with the promotion and consumption of nutritious indigenous foods and urged the promotion of Physical Exercise in school-age children and an acceleration of the Public Education Programme on Healthy lifestyles.
