A recent study has showed that 50 per cent of Jamaicans have been eating more fat than is recommended, leading to high levels of obesity in the society.

The study, done by the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies, also showed that 40 per cent of the population spent their time doing very little work or leisure activities, which has put many Jamaicans at the risk of dying from chronic non-communicable diseases such as heart attack, diabetes and hypertension.

“This study is the result of three years of work between the UWI and the MOH. This health and lifestyle survey focused on sex and health, injuries and violence and chronic non-communicable diseases and their risk factors,” director of the Tropical Metabolism Research Institute (TMRI) at the UWI, Mona, Professor Terrence Forrester said yesterday at a press briefing on the study.

According to Forrester, the aim of the study was to determine current dietary intakes, lifestyle and behaviour patterns that impact on the occurrence of chronic diseases in Jamaica in the 15-74 year old age group. The study, he said, also looked at the risk factors and patterns of occurrence of diabetes, obesity and hypertension among a nationally representative sample of 2,016 persons.

The study concluded that:

* obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes and hypertension in Jamaica;

* a large proportion/of Jamaicans are overweight and or obese, with women bearing a larger burden of risk to these diseases when compared to men;

* awareness, treatment and control rates of these diseases were low, and

* 60 per cent of all age groups spend their leisure time in sedentary activities such as watching television, reading a book or playing video games.

Based on the survey findings, the health ministry announced yesterday that it would be starting a series of consultative meetings to decide how to treat the health problems highlighted.

“Next week we will have some meetings to decide the next steps — that is what we will be doing about the information and how we will be doing it. We want to get as much help as possible from the different agencies to try to bring about behavioural change,” said Dr Deanna Ashley, director of health promotion and protection at the ministry.

She also said the findings would be used to inform long term health policy.

In the meantime, ministry officials raised some key areas for action arising from the studies findings of the study. These include:

* integrating physical activities into all children and adolescent programmes;

* restricting advertisements of cigarettes and smoking in public places;

* modifying the school feeding programmes;

* developing partnerships with the food industry to provide healthy and affordable food options; and

* integrating lifestyle interventions into the treatment programmes for patients with chronic diseases. Chronic non-communicable diseases are among the leading causes of death in Jamaica.