Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

A young boy suffering from obesity. This condition is a major health problem in Jamaica. The Ministry of Health is taking steps to deal with this lifestyle disease among adolescents. - File

CHILDREN ARE at great risk of developing lifestyle diseases due to a lack of exercise.

Urban girls in particular are at greater risk of being victims of obesity. Some 10.8 per cent of urban girls in the 13-15 age group are obese compared with 3.4 per cent of their rural counterparts, the Jamaican Youth Risk and Resiliency Behaviour Survey 2005 discloses.

The survey, commissioned by the Ministry of Health and funded by USAID, measured a national sample of 3,003 in-school youth ages 10-15, of whom 1,422 were males and 1,581 females. It found that seven per cent of adolescents aged 10-15 are overweight and almost four per cent are obese. At all ages, more females than males are obese.

Health conditions

Obesity is a condition in which the energy stored in the fatty tissue of humans is increased to a point where it is associated with certain health conditions or increased mortality.

A direct result of obesity is the excessive body weight which predisposes persons to various diseases, chief among them cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, and osteoarthritis. Heart disease and diabetes mellitus are the third and fourth-biggest killers of Jamaicans, respectively, according to Ministry of Health data.

A healthy-lifestyle document out of the Ministry of Health entitled, 'Epidemiological Profile: Chronic Diseases in Jamaica', indicates that many children may become affected by these lifestyle diseases if proper dieting and exercise are not made priority.

"There is an increasing amount of data showing that being overweight during childhood and adolescence is significantly associated with insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure in young adulthood," the ministry document says.

"The specifics of the transition from risk factors in childhood to diabetes and cardiovascular disease are not clear, but compelling evidence points to their association with overt disease in adults. On the basis of current knowledge and extrapolation from studies in adults, it is reasonable to suggest that lifestyle modification and weight control in childhood could reduce the risk of developing the insulin-resistance syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease," it continues.

The 2000 National Healthy Lifestyle Survey found that 9.8 per cent of males and 6.1 per cent of females between the ages 15-20 years old was obese.

Correspondingly, 16.5 per cent females in the age group were overweight and 7.3 per cent of males. A possible reason for the difference between the sexes may be related to the observation that 64.4 per cent of males engaged in high-impact physical activities compared to 14.3 females.

Also, according to the 2000 survey, 20 per cent of males suffer from hypertension compared with 22 per cent of females.

Primary prevention

To tackle the health problem, the ministry says it will focus on primary prevention. Part of its strategic plan is to encourage persons to exercise, balancing this with good dietary practices.

A campaign is on at present to encourage young people to eat more fruits and vegetables, and reduce the consumption of fat, sugar and salt. The ministry is also encouraging the production and marketing of healthy foods.