COVID era spurred child obesity crisis – doc
Published:Tuesday | February 14, 2023 | 1:08 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter
With data from recent studies showing that 23.3 per cent of Jamaican students aged 13 to 17 were overweight and/or obese, a medical practitioner is suggesting that the number may have spiked because of COVID-19 lifestyle disruptions.
Dr Natalie McNeil-Beecher, president of the Pediatric Association of Jamaica, said there was need to gather new data to reflect what has happened over the two-year period when children had to remain at home and participate in virtual school.
“A lot of the kids were at home, they were not as active, they were bored, and just eating anything, and so that is another aspect of it that we need to look at,” she said in a Gleaner interview.
As a paediatrician, McNeil-Beecher said she and her colleagues are seeing an increase in the number of youth with childhood-onset hypertension and insulin resistance, which often lead to Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes causes blood-sugar levels to become elevated.
“Jamaicans like to see children with meat on their bones, so we need to sensitise the country as to what is appropriate in terms of size for a child,” the paediatrician said.
McNeil-Beecher said that children and adolescents who are obese and overweight may have higher cholesterol and be at greater risk for cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
She also pointed out that obese and overweight children may experience obstruction of their airways, impacting sleep quality. That could have knock-on effects on their ability to learn.
“If they are overweight and obese, this can impact their joints. In some adolescents, you may find what is called slipped upper femoral epiphysis, where they have pains in their knees and hip and go on to require surgical intervention,” McNeil-Beecher said.
TARGET FOR BULLYING
Commenting on the psychosocial effects of overweight and obesity, she flagged concerns about body size that made children targets for teasing and bullying from peers.
Last week, the Heart Foundation of Jamaica launched its Out of Our Schools campaign in support of the Government’s proposed school nutrition policy, which is now a Green Paper. Consultations are being held with principals, educators, experts in the medical field and other stakeholders regarding the policy.
McNeil-Beecher is calling for interventions at the Government, school, home and community level to encourage proper nutrition among children and adolescents.
She is encouraging children to drink water instead of sugary drinks.
The medical practitioner also wants children to get more involved in physical activities and to reduce the time allotted for online engagement.
“You want every child to be out there getting 60 minutes of active exercise every day, and it doesn’t necessarily mean shuttling the child to football, swimming, or tennis.
“It means allowing the child to engage in free play and what it does to the child in terms of their development and their problem-solving skills and social interactions,” said McNeil-Beecher.
Rosanna Pike, health education officer at the Heart Foundation of Jamaica, said that surveys conducted by her organisation have shown that Jamaicans are paying attention to the message about observing healthy lifestyles.
“Over the years, these campaign evaluation surveys have actually shown that people are actually listening, they are aware of the messages being disseminated, and they are in support of the campaigns,” Pike said.
Pike also suggested that Jamaicans find creative ways of making their meals more nutritious.