Victoria – To curb rising rates of obesity, Seychelles is implementing a unfold of measures from health promotion campaigns in faculties, offices and public spaces, to free screening, prognosis and treatment for of us with chronic diseases.
One of the first drivers of obesity in Seychelles is the rising occurrence of sedentary existence and the excessive consumption of sugary meals and drinks. Research have proven that top consumption of sugary drinks akin to soft drinks and energy drinks, alongside with wretched dietary habits, contribute severely to the obesity disaster. Additionally, lack of sufficient bodily dispute, in particular in urban areas, has exacerbated the topic. This aligns with WHO’s findings on how urbanization and blueprint of life modifications contribute to rising obesity phases in island states.
These trends are the first causes of obesity in Seychelles. Nearly three-quarters of ladies and more than 50% of men reported insufficient bodily dispute measured in opposition to World Health Group (WHO) pointers for adults of at the least 150 minutes of bodily dispute per week.
In adults, WHO defines obesity as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. Files level to that obesity in Seychelles has risen sharply within the closing two or so an extended time, from 13% among ladies and 4% among men in 2000 to 49% and 27% in 2023, respectively.
These efforts aim to reverse the health dangers related with obesity, greater BMI is strongly related with excessive blood pressure and excessive phases of blood glucose, which contribute to chronic diseases akin to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In Seychelles, 42% of ladies and 38% of men inclined 18‒74 have excessive blood pressure and the occurrence of diabetes among older adults inclined 55‒74 is over 30%. Chronic diseases are the main trigger of loss of life in Seychelles, accounting for 53% of all deaths, and of these, cardiovascular diseases are in control of 58%.
Beneath the SeyPen programme, tailored from WHO’s Package of Obligatory Noncommunicable (PEN) Disease Interventions for Most important Health Care, the govtis implementing screening and treatment measures in all 15 health companies within the country. Every facility has a dedicated crew of trained health professionals who cloak and refer sufferers who are chubby or are in risk of diabetes and excessive blood pressure to the important specialist.
“Folks can fabricate quite a bit to prevent and commit to a wholesome blueprint of life, so of us must take duty for their health,” says Jourdanne Letourdie, a nursing officer at Anse Aux Pins health center, positioned within the east spot of Mahe, Seychelles’ principal island. “Chronic diseases are costing the country quite a bit of cash. If we can work together, it doesn’t price us so worthy.”
In 2023 WHO convened southern African countries with excessive rates of obesity in Johannesburg, South Africa, to spearhead national obesity response acceleration roadmaps. Following this assembly, Peggy Vidot, Minister of Health in Seychelles, conducted excessive-diploma advocacy for obesity to be tackled as a national wretchedness requiring coordination at the very best diploma. Because of this, a multisectoral steering committee became shaped, chaired by President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan. In October of that year, he launched the ‘Stop Obesity’ marketing campaign and multisectoral obesity reduction conception. Ministries, departments and businesses are implementing varied initiatives below the conception.
The ‘Indulge in to your health’ marketing campaign became launched in closing quarter of 2023 by the Diet Unit of the country’s Health Care Company. The unit produced a group of short health promotion videos specializing in nutritional vow and health benefits of varied meals, as effectively as straightforward meal suggestions using wholesome and reasonable substances. The videos had been broadcasted on the first television channel, Seychelles Broadcasting Company.
The Diagram of job Wellbeing Programme has efficiently targeted more than 20 offices from both the public and non-public sectors since its initiation. The programme educates workers on how to dispute, monitor and preserve an eye on their diets, and the blueprint in which to steadiness work and blueprint of life. It furthermore conducts traditional screening of customary risk factors for chronic diseases, akin to blood pressure, body mass index and blood glucose.
The Ministry of Training has furthermore rolled out new faculty programmes to dispute formative years the importance of bodily dispute and proper diet. Regular sports occasions and health competitions for the time being are portion of the school calendar, encouraging student participation and household involvement. All tell faculties provide free breakfast and lunch to college students, selling wholesome entertaining from an early age. To extra enhance this, unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks are banned in faculty tuck stores, consistent with the 2008 Nationwide School Diet Policy and the 2018 tuck shop pointers. Wearing companies, playgrounds and improved pedestrian walkways have furthermore paved the style for more accumulate admission to to bodily dispute.
The Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Household organizes initiating-air health classes and diet training workshops to have interaction the public. These initiatives aim to promote collective possession of the warfare in opposition to obesity.
“We want stakeholders within the public and non-public sector, including non-governmental organizations and community groups, to work together with the Ministry of Health in a collaborative effort to handle obesity and overweight at national diploma,” says Stephanie Desnousse, important nutritionist at the Ministry of Health. “Obesity is no longer greatest an topic for the Ministry of Health, but furthermore a national topic.”
