Concerns are being raised about the health of the nation’s children. Fears are rife that should their current eating habits continue, there will be increased manifestations of lifestyle diseases in younger children.
Data from the Ministry of Health and Wellness’s Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey III, which documents data collected in 2016 and 2017, reveals that the overall prevalence of diabetes was 12% among persons 15 years and older.
Annette, who grew up in the 1970s, told the Freedom Come Rain that she believes that lifestyle diseases in young children and teenagers may stem from the gradual changes in eating habits. She recounted her lifestyle as a child, stating that she and her peers were often exposed to farm-grown produce, rather than processed food items.
“On Saturdays, we’re sure that we’re going to get some soup. Vegetable soup or chicken soup or cow foot soup. On Sunday, we get the rice and peas,” she said, “And you know, that’s where we’ll even get; they emphasise even more vegetables on a Sunday. During the week we’ll eat vegetables the same, because we might have steamed callaloo, and we might have a lot of tomatoes to do food.”
Shannon Dore, a mother of six, also related a similar childhood experience. She also voiced her concern that some families may find themselves eating in accordance with convenience, rather than nutrition. She shared her experience of caring for all of her children, three of whom are currently under 18. She believes that working parents, like herself, may rely more on fast food to feed their children due to the physical exhaustion of their occupations and the convenience of the product.
‘Mothers have less time to prepare healthy meals or healthier meals or try to prepare something,’ Dore said. These days, it is more like, “Let me just have a KFC and buy them something to eat. Or, let me have a pizza and get them a piece of pizza. Or, buy them a little jerk chicken or something like that. ”
Annette, who is an early childhood educator, has also observed that many children do not take water to school and prefer to drink juice in place of it. She is concerned about the effects of these habits on the children as they get older.
“I don’t have the facts as it relates to health. But I can say I would want to think that their life is more at risk. Or their health is more at risk. Seeing that they are eating more processed food, more canned food, and more food with artificial flavouring.”
Shannon says she does not observe young children doing as much physical activity as they did. She reflected on the games of cricket and ‘dandy-shandy’ that she engaged in as a child, comparing them now to children who are fixated on their phones and other electronic devices. For her, this is a concern, as she believes the plethora of activities contributed to her health as a child, and the lack thereof currently may lead to health implications for the youth of today.
Naturopathic doctor Debra Williams, however, believes that there are ways to navigate work and provide healthy meals.
Her recommendation to her patients is to prepare food over the weekend, preserving it in the freezer. Preparing them during the following week reduces cooking time and fosters healthy eating for children. Dr. Williams also provided plant-based food options to replace food such as processed meat. “I teach them how to make their veggie burgers using the oats with the carrots, onions, garlic, you know, lentils, and freeze them so it’s in the freezer. I teach them ways that they can make food ahead of time, and it’s in the fridge… I just give them little strategies or ways and different things that they can prepare,” she said.