Many Jamaicans would, by now, have seen video and print advertisements, and heard on the radio about the woman drinking herself sick with her consumption of many sugary, sweetened beverages throughout the day. What they may not have realised is that this advertisement represents the start of a mass media campaign by the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) to highlight the harmful effects of added sugar on health and to show how excess sugar consumption is directly related to increased levels of obesity. This campaign was launched on November 17, 2017 with support from the Ministry of Health.

The response of the public to this campaign has been overwhelmingly positive. Comments on social media and, in particular, on the HFJ’s Facebook page have shown that many did not know the facts or did not realise the gravity of the situation but were grateful for the information. Some had already started cutting down on sugar.

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health and are major risk factors for a number of chronic, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers. Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries.

The Ministry of Health recently launched ‘Jamaica Moves’, which addresses the benefits of a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a balanced diet, as part of the ministry’s plans to prevent and reduce NCDs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises that obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese. According to a WHO report in 2016, excess calories from sugar-sweetened beverages are a significant contributor to the global rise in obesity and diabetes. The prevalence of obesity has almost doubled worldwide between 1980 and 2014. Thirty-nine percent of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13 per cent were obese.

Jamaica is no exception, in 2008 data from the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey showed that overweight rates are high in both adults and children. The rates of overweight/obese individuals are higher among women than their male counterparts — 63 per cent versus 38 per cent in adults. The Global School-based Student Health Survey in Jamaica, 2010 (ages 13-15) reported that 24 per cent of boys and 32 per cent of girls are overweight or obese.

The WHO and the World Cancer Research Fund have published guidelines recommending that individuals should consume no more than 10 per cent of total calories from added sugar, and preferably less than five per cent. Keeping sugar consumption below 10 per cent of total calories has become a global goal.

The American Heart Association has recommended the daily amount of added sugar should be six teaspoons (24gms) for women and nine (36gms) for men. The suggested daily limit for children over two years is less than six teaspoons (24gms).

Why focus on sugar-sweetened beverages?

The major contributors to excess calories are fats and sugars (Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute report 2011).

Fast foods are known to be loaded with fats. Interestingly, data from the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey 2008 showed that less than 20 per cent of Jamaicans (15-74) consume fast foods more than once per week. In stark contrast, however, more than 75 per cent of Jamaicans consume more than one sugar-sweetened beverage every day. Other sugary foods such as buns, ice cream, cereals, and chocolate are also frequently consumed in Jamaica.

The trend continues with our youth. the Global School-based Student Health Survey in Jamaica, 2010 reported that 75 per cent of boys between the ages of 13 and 15 drink more than one carbonated soft drink (soda) per day, on average, with girls in Jamaica following suit at 71 per cent.

Consider this, an average adult would need to run at least two kilometres or jog for 20 minutes to offset drinking just one 355ml can of regular soda (which typically contains 150 kcals, or nine teaspoons of sugar).

Jamaica’s Cabinet-approved National Strategic and Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases has set an ambitious target of reducing obesity prevalence in adolescents and adults over 18 years by five per cent by 2018. Reducing consumption of added sugars in sugar-sweetened beverages and other sugar-dense foods is one important and effective way to start to achieve this goal.

The HFJ very much appreciates the partnership with the Ministry of Health in this campaign and salutes Minister of Health Christopher Tufton for his vision. At the launch of the campaign he gave an inspiring address detailing the responsibility of the Government of Jamaica to the people of Jamaica in helping to improve the health of the nation by reducing intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and reducing the prevalence of obesity. We stand together with the minister as we work to attain this goal and we support the Ministry of Health in its Jamaica Moves initiative to increase physical activity, which is another arm in the fight to reduce obesity and improve cardiovascular health.

We will continue to inform and educate the public on the harmful effects of sugar and advocate for the reduction of added sugar in all our diets in order to reduce the prevalence of obesity in Jamaica.

Dr Andrene Chung is a consultant cardiologist and chair of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica.