Participation in sport and physical activity has the potential to contribute to a healthy lifestyle and society. However, a worthwhile contribution would only be beneficial if sport and physical activity is approached in a strategic manner and properly integrated with other measures for achieving a health society.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) announced at its meeting in Dominica (March 2015) that the region is facing a childhood obesity epidemic notwithstanding improvements in the overall health status of children and young people over recent decades.
Very alarmingly, CARPHA states “that least one in every five of our children carry unhealthy weights and risk developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, later in life.”
In 2012, the PANAM STEPS Report on CNCD indicated an increase in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancers and certain respiratory diseases in Trinidad and Tobago. It was reported that non-communicable diseases account for over 60% of premature loss of life (death before 70 years). The former Minister of Health as well as other health personnel have also pointed to an alarming increase in the overall level of obesity especially among children. This growing ‘fat’ society syndrome among the adult and young population is related to several socio-economic factors.
The adult population is affected on a daily basis by the demands of work, doing sometimes two or more jobs, traffic congestion, striving for educational advancement, engaging in leisure activities that involve high consumption levels of caloric and cholesterol foods and beverages and little or no physical activity. On the other hand, the youth is affected by the daily demands of the education curriculum especially those students who are caught in the extra lesson phenomenon, a fashionable youth culture which is defined by high consumption levels of fast food, sedentary social activities and an overall low level of intense physical activities.
The CARPHA Report 2015 and PANAM STEPS Report 2012 suggest that in addition to maintaining a healthy diet, physical activity is important in establishing an overall healthy lifestyle and society.
The measures for addressing the growing concern of increases in CNCD’s and obesity among the population must be linked to their causes to ensure that they are properly understood. This will therefore allow for informed practical measures as well as effective monitoring and evaluation. Several points should be considered when developing a sport and physical activity framework for a healthy society.
Firstly, there must be a clear advocate for promoting the benefits of sport and physical activity and increasing participation rates across the population. There must be a collaborative effort by various ministries such as Health, Sport and Youth Affairs, Education, Community Development, the THA, private sporting associations and the private sector. This will ensure greater effectiveness in advocating the health value of sport and physical activity across every segments of the society.
Secondly, it is important for administrators not assume that by indicating that physical activity is beneficial, the population would engage in developing an active lifestyle. Sport has to be seen as a social construct and any approach to making it effective from a health perspective would require an understanding of the many factors that influence sport involvement. For instance in primary schools foods sold must complement the desired objectives of increasing sport and physical activities. Also it is important the sporting and physical activities developed incorporates fun and enjoyment so as to make it attractive and appealing to participants.
Thirdly, it is critical that proper monitoring and evaluating mechanisms are utilised to assess measures implemented. Not only will such an approach allow for assessing the effectiveness of the existing measures but will also allow for improvements to achieve the desired goals while at the same time ensuring that all resources are properly optimised.