Athaliah Reynolds, Staff Reporter

HEALTH OFFICIALS are concerned over the signifi-cant rise in the cases of chronic diseases among children and adolescents under the age of 18 years old.

The problem is being blamed on the fact that an increasing number of Jamaican children are becoming overweight and obese due to poor lifestyle habits, which are often encouraged in the home and at school.

A recent screening conducted by the National Health Fund (NHF) in collaboration with the Heart Foundation of Jamaica, involving more than 1,500 students between the ages of 15-17 years in secondary schools across the island, found that a large number of the students showed early signs of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

The screenings were conducted over a seven-month period, from November 2008 to June 2009.

From the number, some 75 students had an abnormal echocardiogram - a medical test that is used to diagnose cardiovascular diseases, 114 were overweight, and 57 obese.

Too much high-calorie foods

In just one Corporate Area school, from 169 screenings, it was found that 16.1 per cent of the students had pre-hypertension, while a further 2.3 per cent had stage one hypertension.

Additionally, 1.3 per cent had high blood-sugar levels, 34.9 per cent had low haemoglobin levels, and 1.9 per cent had borderline high cholesterol.

The study's findings suggest that children have grown fatter and more sedentary over the years as they are eating too much high-calorie foods that are low in nutritional value.

"They are also spending too much time in front of the television and computers and not enough time participating in physical activity," the study further said.

Nutrition specialists argue that obesity and other chronic illnesses in children have the potential to burn an even larger hole in the coffers of the health sector, as, although chronic diseases are preventable, they are among the most expen-sive to treat each year.

Last year, the Government spent approximately $15.1 billion (US$170 million) to treat chronic illnesses, such as hypertension and diabetes.

Nutritionist Patricia Thompson told The Sunday Gleaner that the results of the NHF screening reflected what was already happening both at the basic- and primary- school levels.

Bad eating habits

Thompson said the eating habits of many Jamaican children put them at high risk for developing chronic illnesses at an early age.

Thompson said that recent research also showed that six per cent of children in the island's basic schools, ages one to four, were obese. This, she said, was twice the international standard, which is three per cent.

Thompson said one of the main ways to tackle the problem would be to focus on how children are eating while they are in school.

"Children spend a large proportion of their time in school, and how they are eating is not compatibile with a healthy lifestyle," the nutrition expert said.

She said it was critical for health officials and policymakers to revisit the school-nutrition programme, as more emphasis needed to be placed on proper nutrition for students.

Checks made by The Sunday Gleaner found that a majority of school canteens served mainly foods high in starch and sugar each day.

To fight the problem and raise awareness, the NHF has designed the National Health Fund Schools Wellness Programme as a working tool to reach children in schools.

The objective is to enhance children's health and well-being by focusing on three key areas: increasing physical activity, healthy eating, and conducting screening tests for the early detection of chronic illnesses.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com

A chronic disease is an illness that has a prolonged course, does not resolve spontaneously, and a complete cure is rarely achieved. These diseases include diabetes, heart disease and asthma, and they all affect the quality of life of those inflicted, including children.