Jamaican men and women are getting fat, and I daresay too fat. At the bus stop, in the supermarket, walking on the streets, and even in fast food restaurants you see several obese people, and wonder when we got here.

Mine is not about fat-shaming, but a concern about the health implications and cost to these individuals, their families, and the State. A 2022 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) report said 54 per cent of Jamaicans were overweight or obese, increasing their risks of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Apparently, some people are unaware of the health implications of obesity, which is worrying. Overweight and obesity, abnormal or excessive fat accumulation, present a risk to health and are major risk factors for several chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Obesity has been linked to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and at least 12 types of cancer, according to the Heart Foundation of Jamaica’s (HFJ) research ‘Challenges of Obesity and NCDs’, using data from the World Health Organization (WHO). The foundation reported that the main causes of death locally include heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, and stroke, and NCDs linked to obesity are responsible for many of them.

The trend has been climbing for years. The overweight/obesity rate among adults rose from 45.7 per cent in 2001 to 51.7 per cent in 2008, and 54 per cent by 2016, according to the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey, with two-thirds of those affected being women. Child obesity has also jumped, pointing to an even bigger danger, as we are now in an age at which children spend more time on phones and tablets than on outdoor activities.

A NUTRITION SHIFT

Most people who are overweight and obese lack physical activity. The 2017 Health and Lifestyle Survey found that the prevalence of low physical activity was 43.8 per cent among females and 27.7 per cent among males. It also found that overweight was highest in people aged 45 to 54, while obesity was highest in those 35 to 44.

While newer figures are not immediately available, anecdotal evidence suggests that since the last survey there has been an increase in overweight and obesity among the young.

According to the HFJ, overweight and obesity, once considered a problem in high-income countries, are rising in low- and middle-income countries like Jamaica, particularly in urban settings. The foundation said Jamaica, like the rest of the world, has experienced a nutritional shift in which diets have moved markedly from unprocessed or minimally processed foods to ultra-processed foods, many of them high in added sugar, salt, and unhealthy fat, while low in dietary fibre. The big jump in the number of fast food restaurants locally has no doubt been playing a big role in the spike of obesity cases.

Sugary drinks compound the problem. People must realise that drinks with a high sugar content are not good for their health. There are just too many children and young adults being treated for NCDs and, unfortunately, too many are dying young.

Jamaica’s experience is part of a worldwide trend. A December 8, 2025 WHO report said worldwide adult obesity has more than doubled since 1990, while adolescent obesity has quadrupled. In 2022, about 2.5 billion adults aged 18 and over were overweight, with another 890 million living with obesity, and more than 390 million children and adolescents aged five to 19 were also overweight.

Unhealthy food environments, characterised by the high availability of ultraprocessed products and limited access to healthy foods, continue to drive high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Americas.

The WHO links obesity to NCDs such as diabetes, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory diseases, and digestive disorders, which together caused 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2021. It predicts the global cost of overweight and obesity will reach US$3 trillion a year by 2030, and more than US$18 trillion by 2060, if countries do nothing to slow the epidemic.

Closer to home, the bill is already mounting. In a statement to Parliament in January last year, I noted that the National Health Fund, up to April 2024, had spent approximately $9.4 billion on drugs for the management of NCDs, and the figures keep rising.

WHAT MUST CHANGE

If our people do not change, that spending will only climb, and we will become a country of unhealthy people while families suffer when loved ones struggle with NCDs and leave us well before their time. Diets must change and more of us need to exercise.

I am not optimistic that cravings for fast food will drop dramatically, but if our people demand healthier choices I am sure the franchise holders will shift to the demand.

I announced in my sectoral debate presentation last month that the Ministry of Health and Wellness will this year relaunch Jamaica Moves as a family and community event. Walking groups will be established across parishes to encourage regular physical activity and social engagement, and we hope all Jamaicans will use it not only to get fit, but to shed some pounds and, in the end, become healthier.

The WHO recommends reducing the calories consumed from fat and sugar and increasing the daily intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts, with physical activity of at least 60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes a week for adults.

If we ignore the message and keep consuming food high in unhealthy fat, salt, and sugar, we are only destroying ourselves. An unhealthy country cannot speak of increased productivity. But I am still optimistic that change will come, as Jamaica has committed to halting the rise of obesity and NCDs in keeping with its obligations under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and other international commitments.

Dr Christopher Tufton is Jamaica’s minister of health and wellness. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or cctufton@gmail.com.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton (Photo: Anthony Lewis)