By Robert A. Emmanuel
The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) has continued its push for businesses, lawmakers and other stakeholders to adopt changes to healthy policy in their respective countries.
Speaking during a media sensitisation session last week, Prevention Consultant at Barbados’ Ministry of Health, Sheena Warner-Edwards spoke about the need for evidence-based policies in Caribbean countries.
“Healthy food environments can be created through evidence-based policies as identified by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Healthy Caribbean Coalition has been pushed and advocating for three main policies that tackle childhood obesity—healthy school policies, taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and mandatory Front-of-Package warning labels,” Warner-Edwards said.
“These are supported by PAHO (Pan-American Health Organization) and WHO as their recommended, comprehensive package of evidence-based policies for childhood obesity prevention.
Warner-Edwards said that healthy school policies included “creating school environment that support, promote and encourage children and adolescents to consume healthier beverages, especially water as well as become more physically active.