Inter-American Development Bank
facebook
twitter
youtube
linkedin
instagram
Abierto al públicoBeyond BordersCaribbean Development TrendsCiudades SosteniblesEnergía para el FuturoEnfoque EducaciónFactor TrabajoGente SaludableGestión fiscalGobernarteIdeas MatterIdeas que CuentanIdeaçãoImpactoIndustrias CreativasLa Maleta AbiertaMoviliblogMás Allá de las FronterasNegocios SosteniblesPrimeros PasosPuntos sobre la iSeguridad CiudadanaSostenibilidadVolvamos a la fuente¿Y si hablamos de igualdad?Home
Citizen Security and Justice Creative Industries Development Effectiveness Early Childhood Development Education Energy Envirnment. Climate Change and Safeguards Fiscal policy and management Gender and Diversity Health Labor and pensions Open Knowledge Public management Science, Technology and Innovation  Trade and Regional Integration Urban Development and Housing Water and Sanitation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Caribbean Development Trends

  • HOME
  • CATEGORIES
    • Agribusiness
    • Antigua and Barbuda
    • Barbados
    • BehaviorChange
    • Belize
    • Bermuda
    • biodiversity
    • Blockchain
    • Caribbean
    • Caribbean Culture and Media
    • Climate Change
    • Creative Economy
    • Crime Prevention and Citizen Security
    • Data and Knowledge
    • De-risking
    • Dominica
    • Dutch
    • Early Childhood Development
    • Economic Growth
    • Education Policy
    • energy
    • entrepreneurship
    • Environmental and Climate Change
    • Events
    • Extractives
    • Finance
    • Fiscal Rules
    • gender
    • Governance and Regulatory Policy Reforms
    • Grenada
    • Guyana
    • Haiti
    • Health
    • Health Policy
    • Hurricane
    • Hurricane Irma
    • infrastructure
    • Innovation and change
    • Intellectual Property
    • IWD
    • Jamaica
    • JumpCaribbean
    • Labor
    • Labour Markets
    • MOOC
    • Music
    • Natural Disasters
    • Nurturing Institutions
    • OECS
    • Podcast
    • Poverty
    • Private Sector and Entrepreneurship
    • Saint Kitts and Nevis
    • Saint Lucia
    • Saint Vincent and Grenadines
    • skills
    • Sports for Development
    • Suriname
    • Technology
    • The Bahamas
    • The Blue Economy
    • Transportation
    • Tourism
    • Trinidad and Tobago
    • Uncategorized
    • VAWG
    • Webinar
    • women
    • Women for Change
    • youth
  • Country Offices
    • Bahamas
    • Barbados
    • Guyana
    • Jamaica
    • Trinidad and Tobago
    • Suriname
  • Press Releases
    • Bahamas
    • Barbados
    • Guyana
    • Jamaica
    • Trinidad and Tobago
    • Suriname
  • Authors

Non-Communicable Disease – don’t let it take you out!

October 5, 2015 by Julian Belgrave Leave a Comment


Having recently read an article that presented some damning statistics for Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Caribbean region[1] I reflected on my experiences and encounters regarding my own lifestyle in which I have now committed to incorporate more physical activity into my daily existence. Heart disease, one of the infamous NCDs, commonly referred to as the “silent killer”, strikes like a ruthless sniper taking cherished family members and friends without clear warning. Perhaps the warnings and signs are not observed early enough to be corrected which suggests that much more should be done via public policy and decisions to create the informed environment, the awareness and the know-how to halt and send the NCD “tsunami”, which threatens to erode the quality of life of citizens of the Caribbean, into retreat. Never one to make formal New Year’s resolutions, almost twenty years ago, I made an impulsive but conscious decision to become more physically active. Through the years this has evolved from a mere intent to a passionate commitment to be more active. Like most journeys that one embarks on, personal experience influenced the first step. With a family history of diabetes – one grandmother was an amputee and died from the disease and my father was diagnosed – I was forced to make a personal commitment to adopting a healthy lifestyle.  Also, having practiced a sedentary work and leisure regime in the past had contributed to a slow and steady buildup of adipose tissue around the midsection and, further, “bad” cholesterol in the bloodstream. In other words, I got fat and sluggish!

Yes, the effects of the “office-job” had set-in and the clichéd results were visible: “fat gut” and lethargy. Short walks were literally “breathtaking”—they “took my breath away”. Minimal physical exertion left me huffing and puffing! I had become unfit within a few short months after I started the world of work. This treadmill of life was going nowhere at best or worst trundling towards “a paunch”, possible obesity and ultimately was setting a pace in which some NCD like diabetes and/or heart disease could eventually take me out, like the sniper it is. This may yet happen but, now,  approximately two decades on, I feel as though I have at least delayed the “inevitable”. I say this because I am still well into the battle regarding my discipline towards a more balanced diet. Of course nutrition including the quality, quantity and timing of meals is a critical ingredient in the overall healthy lifestyle. While I do eat more “healthy” than most, I often succumb to temptations by consuming a few more calories than I should and/or eating late at night. However, I shall never give up!!

The costs of doing nothing can be catastrophic. The costs at the individual, national and regional levels are already being felt. The nature and complexity of the scourge that is NCDs make it difficult for the average person to comprehend and recognize that it is an epidemic. The impact cannot be easily visualized like the recent Ebola outbreak that galvanized a regional and global response. It is estimated that 60% of deaths in Trinidad and Tobago can be attributed to NCDs. This presents an enormous threat to social and economic development.

The Caribbean is often viewed as slow to react but in December 2014 Trinidad and Tobago took a bold step in the fight against NCDs with a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank, IDB – Trinidad and Tobago and chronic diseases. This intervention, if successful, will reduce the risk of obesity and being overweight among 260, 000 children and adolescents. It is an example of the type of response that is required to fight the battle against NCDs in the region. Given the statistics for NCDs across the Caribbean, replication is urgently needed. The costs of prevention or activity may be much more palatable than the costs of sitting on your hands and twiddling your thumbs. Be smart, don’t let NCDs take you out!

[1] Recent data indicates that 78% of all deaths in the Caribbean can be attributed to NCDs. Comprehensive Meeting Report: Forum of Key Stakeholders on NCDs: Advancing the NCD Agenda in the Caribbean. 8-9 June 2015. WHO/PAHO

 


Filed Under: Social Systems, Trinidad and Tobago Tagged With: balance diet, Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, heart disease, lethargy, sedentarism

Julian Belgrave

Julian Belgrave is a national of Barbados. He is a certified Project Management Professional with the Project Management Institute and holds a postgraduate degree in Environment and Development from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom and an undergraduate degree in Economics and Management from the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Julian has more than 20 years’ experience working in economic development with a focus on public sector investment programming and has in-depth operations knowledge of multilateral and bilateral development institutions. During his professional career he has led teams with oversight of the planning and execution of numerous development projects across different priority sectors. Also during this period, Julian provided technical and policy advice to Permanent Secretaries, Ministers and the Cabinet on national priority areas and specific public-sector interventions. Julian has also provided technical and policy advice on matters related to public sector investment programming and priorities setting. He has functioned as the acting representative of the IDB in Country Office Jamaica. Previously, he worked as the Chief of Operations with the Inter-American Development Bank supporting the Bank’s strategic role in tackling some of the key development issues in Jamaica and in Trinidad and Tobago. In both cases, he was able to leverage assigned resources and manage relationships to achieve annual targets in two very different but equally challenging country contexts. Julian is currently Senior Operations Specialist based in the Caribbean Countries Department at IDB Group headquarters. .

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

Subscribe

Search

Caribbean Dev Trends

We provide unique and timely insights on the Caribbean and its political, social, and economic development. At the IDB, we strive to improve lives in the Caribbean by creating vibrant and resilient economies where people are safe, productive and happy.

Similar posts

  • A Big Fat Loss for Trinidad and Tobago
  • Eat to Live. Not to Die.
  • One Stop Care Team – No Laughing Matter in Trinidad and Tobago
  • Dispatches from the Front Line: The Caribbean Struggle for Energy
  • Artificial Intelligence and the Caribbean

Footer

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
facebook
twitter
youtube
youtube
youtube

Blog posts written by Bank employees:

Copyright © Inter-American Development Bank ("IDB"). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. (CC-IGO 3.0 BY-NC-ND) license and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose. No derivative work is allowed. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC- IGO license. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.


For blogs written by external parties:

For questions concerning copyright for authors that are not IADB employees please complete the contact form for this blog.

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDB, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.

Attribution: in addition to giving attribution to the respective author and copyright owner, as appropriate, we would appreciate if you could include a link that remits back the IDB Blogs website.



Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

Aviso Legal

Las opiniones expresadas en estos blogs son las de los autores y no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, sus directivas, la Asamblea de Gobernadores o sus países miembros.

facebook
twitter
youtube
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT