Regional partners have united to reaffirm their collective commitment to work together to prioritise action against overweight and obesity as the World Obesity Atlas, 2022 paints a dismal picture for obesity in the Caribbean.
The Atlas, released on March 4, 2022, by the World Obesity Federation, noted that:
- Six out of ten of the countries in the Americas with the highest estimated prevalence of obesity amongst women by 2030 are from the Caribbean with Bermuda topping this list at 48% and St. Vincent and the Grenadines at number ten with 42%.
- Six Caribbean countries fall into the top ten list when projecting 2030 child obesity rates (5-19 years), with Barbados and Jamaica at 22%, Bahamas at 23% and Bermuda at 24% exceeded only by the US at 25%.
- In terms of preparedness to tackle obesity and chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the projections are equally bleak with six Caribbean countries (St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Belize, Grenada, Guyana and Haiti) among the ten least prepared.
Unhealthy diets dominated by unhealthy ultra-processed foods high in sugars, fats and sodium, are among the greatest contributors to overweight, obesity and NCDs.
The costs of an unhealthy food environment are many: increased health costs due to diabetes, heart disease and stroke, as well as many cancers; stigma of people who are living with overweight and obesity; and reduced lifespans. Policies that transform food systems and create healthy food environments make it easier for Caribbean people to make the healthiest choices and are urgently needed. These policies will yield the greatest returns on investment.
At present, Caribbean children and adults are at a disadvantage. They are born into, grow and live in profit-making, obesogenic environments where cheap unhealthy foods are widely available, accessible and heavily marketed. Caribbean citizens, especially children, have a right to nutritious food.
Healthy food policies which are based on sound evidence and have been shown to improve our food systems are well known and recommended by global and regional agencies including CARPHA, FAO, UNICEF and WHO/PAHO.
These policies are set out in the CARPHA 6-point policy package to address childhood obesity through joint policy action and include but not limited to:
- Food-based dietary guidelines and nutrition education;
- Mandatory front of package nutrition warning labelling to empower consumers to make the healthiest choices;
- Fiscal policies to reduce the cost of healthy options while increasing the cost of unhealthy foods;
- National school feeding programmes and regulation in school settings to ban the sale and marketing of ultra-processed foods;
- Food supply policies that support domestic production of healthy foods while disincentivizing the importation of unhealthy foods;
- Double and triple duty actions which improve food systems while also addressing related challenges such as climate change; and,
- Conflict of interest policies to protect policy-making spaces from vested interests.
