Youth from across the Caribbean are demanding healthier school food environments. In just one week, advocates across the globe will celebrate the Global Week for Action on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) under the theme “It’s time to Lead”.
In the lead-up to this event, youth from across the Caribbean are calling on their governments to lead by accelerating evidence-based policies to protect food environments, particularly the school food environment.
Youth health advocates in St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago will initiate “Hope for the Future”- a significant gathering of key stakeholders in each territory to underscore the need for comprehensive school nutrition policies that regulate the sale and marketing of ultra-processed products like sugary drinks in school settings.
These policies should be supported by octagonal front-of-package warning labels to help school communities easily identify foods which should not be available in school settings. Gathering stakeholders is an essential strategy for building healthy and resilient communities.
Notably, nearly 40 youth health advocates are leading the charge across participating countries. They are joined by youth health advocates internationally in a call for improved health outcomes in the spirit of the Global Week for Action on NCDs.
Youth in The Bahamas and Montserrat hosted their events in early July. These events will serve as a compelling reminder to local and regional leaders of their commitment to implementing health-protecting strategies, including evidence-based healthy food policies.
In an interview with THE VOICE this week, Dr Kedhma Dorh, President of the St Lucia Diabetes and Hypertension Association (SLDHA), noted that “a safe school environment for children includes safer food options.”
“Some time ago there was some talk on a ban on sugar-sweetened beverages at schools; this is the policy that’s going to work towards having all these things in place. The Ministry of Health (has) a draft policy that they shared with us and we’re giving our feedback on what we think it should look like,” Dr. Dorh said.
“As an association, we want to endorse such an initiative. If we care about our children the idea is (to) give them some hope,” he said.
Dr Dorh also pointed out that currently, children as young as six years are “already obese (and) can barely walk a couple (of) yards before they (get) breathless. That is a cause for concern. By the time they reach their teenage years and early 20s, they will have developed diabetes and hypertension. That means in their late 20’s (or) 30’s they start to get complications.”
According to him, the SLDHA and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) thought it was necessary “to start the groundwork with the public and let them know that we have to take it seriously. Our future is important not just for the children but also for us and making it safe for them should be our priority.”
“Let’s not overload them with all of the ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages that are going to increase the risk of developing childhood obesity,” he added.
The SLDHA will release a video on the 25th of this month to highlight the initiative.
“The HCC challenged the youth arm of our Association to come up with something that is going to be synchronized with other groups across the region. On the 25th, other groups will be doing similar activities to raise awareness for ‘Hope for the Future’,” he explained.
“We want to share it with everyone (so that they could) get the message. Of course, we expect the Ministry of Health will be engaging all stakeholders as they move forward with trying to implement this policy. As an Association that is responsible for two NCDs-diabetes and hypertension, we think this is important; important enough to come out on the record and say that we need to establish a school nutrition policy,” Dr Dorh said.
Youth Advocate, Yasmine Polius, in a statement, said, “We are pleased to know that there is a draft school nutrition policy in St Lucia currently being considered. Healthy food environments in schools are critical because of their direct impact on students’ well-being, academic performance, and the foundation they lay for lifelong healthy habits.”
In February 2024, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY) organised “Caribbean Youth Voices in Health Advocacy Spaces- Healthy Food Policy Action”, in partnership with the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN), the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), and UNICEF Jamaica.
This three-day health policy-focused youth meeting added momentum to the efforts aimed at empowering the region’s youth to advocate for the implementation of Healthy Food Policies, including octagonal front-of-package nutrition warning labelling and restricting the availability and marketing of unhealthy products in school settings.
In just one year, policymakers across CARICOM will join their international counterparts to discuss the progress made in implementing evidence-based health policies, such as regulations on the sale and marketing of ultra-processed food at the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on the Prevention and NCDs.