The Ministry of Health Wellness and Elderly Affairs has supported the National Insurance Corporation’s physical activity promotion among workers through National Sneaker Day on Wednesday, June 28, 2023.
This year, the NIC has partnered with the Ministry of Health’s Saint Lucia Moves Campaign.
That campaign encourages citizens to exercise regularly to combat Non-Communicable Diseases or NCDs.
“We need to highlight the burden that conditions such as High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, and Chronic Kidney Disease pose on our nation,” a Health Ministry release stated.
“82% of our mortality is a result of NCDs. This means that 82% of our people who are dying die as a result of those conditions,” the Ministry release disclosed.
And it explained that most are premature deaths.
The National Insurance Corporation has noted a significant increase in sickness and disability linked to those same NCDs.
But the Ministry of Health observed that physical activity and lifestyle changes, including healthy eating and moderate alcohol consumption, could reduce the risk of NDCs.
Organisers of National Sneaker Day have encouraged employees to wear their usual work attire with sneakers instead of their regular formal footwear as a reminder to be physically active.
The organisers hope it will catalyze a greater focus on their overall well-being.
“Do more physical activity. Park further away from your office. Take a walk when you get that cell phone call, and wear comfortable shoes which will encourage us all to move more,” the Ministry of Health urged.
We can live a more healthy life, if we exercise more, eat more fruits and vegetables, and live a cleaner life. The big problem is, in the Caribbean, we have a propensity to emulate the junk food eating by those three big countries that are greatly influencing out lifestyle.