Paediatric Association and Heart Foundation launch national ‘Weight a Bit ...’ initiative

The Paediatric Association of Jamaica (PAJ), in collaboration with the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) and key national partners, today launched ‘Weight a Bit ... Turning the Tide on Childhood Obesity in Jamaica’, a national initiative designed to move the country from awareness to coordinated action on childhood overweight and obesity.

The launch took place during Childhood Obesity Awareness Month at the Venetian Suite, Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, Kingston.

The latest 2026 Jamaica Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) found that 31.7 per cent of students were overweight and 15.3 per cent were obese. The survey, conducted among students in Grades 7-12, included 3,058 students from 32 schools and was designed to produce nationally representative estimates. In 2017, 23.3 per cent of students were overweight and 9.2 per cent were obese.

NATIONAL RESPONSE

President of the Paediatric Association of Jamaica, Dr Ludrick Morris, noted that, “The latest data on overweight and obesity among Jamaica’s children should be a wake-up call for all of us. We are seeing a worrying increase in the number of children affected, and the implications extend well beyond childhood. Children who are overweight or obese are at greater risk of developing conditions such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, while also facing other physical and psychosocial challenges.

“Prevention and early intervention must begin where children live, learn, eat and play. This means creating healthier school and community environments, promoting nutritious diets and physical activity, and ensuring that children who are already affected receive appropriate care and support.”

For this reason, ‘Weight a Bit ...’ is built on the premise that childhood obesity cannot be addressed by placing responsibility solely on children and their families. Children’s food choices and activity levels are shaped by the environments in which they live, learn, play and grow.

Dr Morris noted that, “Jamaica already has policies and strategies that can help us address this challenge. The National School Nutrition Policy is a critical tool in creating healthier food environments in our schools, and what is needed now is its full and effective implementation. We must move from policy commitments to action and ensure that the necessary support, coordination and accountability are in place.”

He added: “This initiative is therefore a call for collective action. Government, healthcare professionals, schools, parents, communities, academia, civil society and responsible private-sector partners all have a role to play. If we are serious about changing the trajectory of childhood obesity in Jamaica, we must act now and sustain that action over the long term.”

Over the coming months, activities will include:

– A national media campaign and public education programme;

– The signing of a Joint Declaration on Childhood Overweight and Obesity;

– School, community and youth challenges and competitions;

– Workshops for parents, teachers and healthcare professionals;

– Scientific and professional engagement;

– Policy advocacy; and

– A major three-day national finale in March 2027.

The initiative will also advocate for stronger implementation of measures that create healthier environments for children, including Jamaica’s National School Nutrition Policy, with an emphasis on healthier school meals, safe drinking water, school gardens, locally grown foods, nutrition education and physical activity.

It will also support stronger breastfeeding and Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative measures, front-of-package warning labels, fiscal measures such as the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, and improved access to affordable, nutritious foods.

While prevention is critical, ‘Weight a Bit ...’ will also emphasise respectful, stigma-free, evidence-based prevention, management and treatment for children already living with overweight and obesity.

Childhood obesity is associated with increased risks of hypertension, abnormal cholesterol, insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, sleep disorders and musculoskeletal complications. It can also increase the likelihood of obesity and related health problems continuing into adulthood.

The PAJ and HFJ stress that the answer cannot simply be to tell children to “eat less and move more”. Children need environments that make healthy choices possible, accessible and affordable.

“Healthy children require healthy families, healthy schools, healthier communities and policies that support, not undermine, the healthy choice.”

CALL FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION

Deborah Chen, executive director of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), noted that, “Turning the tide on childhood obesity requires more than awareness. It requires decisive action and the full implementation of policies that can create healthier environments for our children. The National School Nutrition Policy is an important part of that response, and we must move beyond having the policy on paper to ensuring that it is fully implemented, monitored and adequately supported across our schools.”

She stressed that, “We also need to ensure that the resources generated from health-related measures such as the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages are used strategically to advance public health. HFJ believes that consideration should be given to directing a portion of these revenues towards initiatives that prevent childhood obesity, including supporting the implementation of the School Nutrition Policy, strengthening nutrition education and physical activity programmes, and expanding access to healthy foods and drinking water in schools.

“Simultaneously, we cannot focus only on prevention. Children who are already living with overweight or obesity need access to appropriate, child-friendly and evidence-based care. We therefore support the development and expansion of dedicated obesity-management services and clinics that can provide children and their families with nutrition counselling, medical assessment, behavioural support and appropriate treatment.”

The ‘Weight a Bit ... Turning the Tide on Childhood Obesity in Jamaica’ initiative will run until March 2027.