MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton says more children should embrace participating in physical activities, reiterating that Jamaicans should go back to basics with outdoor recreation.

Speaking at the National School Moves Day on the grounds of Manchester High on Friday, Dr Tufton called on parents and guardians to encourage children to spend less time on their gadgets.“A smartphone, the on-call movies and Netflix, combined with the ultra-processed snacks that you get in the supermarket excite young people to spend more time snacking and watching or participating with your fingers on the smartphone than going outside to play with your friends [and] to interact with them. [You] should get your blood flowing and your heart pumping so that you get a healthier lifestyle and living,” Tufton said.

He warned his audience, which consisted primarily of students from schools in Region Five — Manchester and St Elizabeth — that physical inactivity is a risk factor for non-communicable diseases.

“As a result, too many of our young people are suffering from lifestyle diseases. I have seen kids in high school having diabetes. I have seen kids in high school having even [high] blood pressure in some cases, obesity and being overweight,” said Tufton.

“All of these things are going to affect you in the years to come, so while they may not feel threatened now, as their parents, guardians, teachers and administrators, we need to do more to encourage your children to go outside to leave the smartphones, come off the Internet to avoid some of the ultra-processed snacks, greasy, salty, sugary, fatty and get back to the basic lifestyle of living,” he added.

Tufton recalled his days as a student at Manchester High, insisting that outdoor activities were crucial and fun.

“When I was growing up, I used to build a hut in the bush with my friends, and my cousins. Summertime was good. We used to go to the hills. We used to play ‘stuck in the middle’. We used to play six-a-side football. We used to build our own cricket bat and our own wickets. Sometimes we made it out of rubber and we had fun in the sun. We need to get back to basics,” said the health minister.

He said parents and guardians should promote physical activity among children as it contributes to their mental health and academics.

“[It] is to encourage a lifestyle. Encourage your children to come out of the classroom during playtime and go and play. Whatever they play as long as it is healthy and wholesome, it is going to be good for them also in terms of their academics,” he said.

State minister in the Ministry of Education and Youth Marsha Smith also encouraged students to participate in physical activities.

“One of the things we can do to protect ourselves against lifestyle diseases is physical activities. I want you to see physical activity as an important medicine to keep our bodies, our mind and our spirits healthy,” she said.

Principal of Manchester High Jasford Gabriel shared similar sentiments.

“We are very cognisant that physical exercise is extremely important for mental wellness for health, reducing blood pressure, allowing for mental alertness and doing better in your schoolwork. Studies have shown that there is a close correlation between physical fitness and mental alertness. Meaning, you do better in schoolwork when you are physically fit,” he said.