Diabetes, obesity major problems in Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago leads the Caribbean in the number of reported cases of Diabetes and more than half of the population is overweight.

The statistics were presented by Deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health Cheryl Hay.

She was speaking at a sensitisation meeting for members of the Cabinet-appointed Partners’ Forum Working Committee for Action on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases at the Hyatt.

Hay pointed to :alarming:" data in the preliminary report of the T&T National Risk Factor Survey conducted this yea.

“The report confirmed that a large proportion of the population already have the risk factors for developing chronic diseases. More than half the population is overweight or obese and we are already seeing that 25 per cent of school aged children are overweight or obese,” Hay stated.

The report also has some other troubling data:

• 40 per cent of the population did not get sufficient physical exercise weekly
• 90.8 per cent eat less than the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables daily
• 65 per cent of persons, aged 45-64, have three or more risk factors for NCDs
• 50 per cent of persons aged 24-64 have three or more risk factors for NCDs

Hay said figures from the local Diabetes Association show that 175,000 people suffer from the disease. That means one in seven adults in the country is affected by the sickness. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 346 million people are living with the disease and expects that to double by 2030 if there is no intervention to deal with the problem. 

Hay said there are other non communicable diseases that are growing in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Besides diabetes, over the past few decades we have also seen an alarming rise in the number of persons developing heart disease, cancers and suffering strokes,” she said. 

“Trinidad and Tobago is leading the fight against chronic non-communicable diseases in the Caribbean as we are the first Caribbean nation to appoint a partners’ forum." 

She added: “Let us continue to lead the way for others to follow as the forum creates synergies and catalyses environmental, social and policy changes that promote health and prevent chronic diseases.”