The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment is raising awareness on Obesity in light of the increase in cases among the Vincentian population.
This is according to Community Dietician in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment Alicia Ferdinand while speaking on NBC Radio.
“We used to see persons being more active, persons being more out, but now it’s not happening as much. So now we are seeing the youngest of the young being more oversized than usual than the average children and then we’re also seeing adults as well,” Ferdinand said.
She also noted that this trend is being recorded not just in St. Vincent and the Grenadines but throughout the Caribbean on a whole.
She drew attention to the old belief that many Vincentians hold that someone being overweight means that things are all well with them. Ms. Ferdinand warned that being overweight can be accompanied with its own complications.
“While back in the day you might say “you big and plump so you nice” it is not as healthy, because while you’re big and plump and nice and you like how you look, there may be things going on within the body that could cause problems later in life,” she said.
The World Health Organization defines obesity as an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.
