Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 13, 2019 (SKNIS): Promoting healthy lifestyle choices continues to be at the forefront of Government’s agenda. Against this backdrop, St. Kitts-Nevis (SKN) Moves was officially launched on Friday, August 09, at the Independence Square in Basseterre.
SKN Moves forms part of a regional initiative, Caribbean Moves – a re-energizing and intensification of the health promotion efforts through creative and innovative multi-sectoral collaboration.
Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, who is the CARICOM lead Head with respect to Health and Human Resource, outlined the aim of the initiative.
“The St. Kitts-Nevis Moves programme will seek to create a healthy lifestyle culture centered on healthy eating practices, regular physical activities and regular health checks or screenings,” he said. “The aim is to promote healthy lifestyle choices throughout the settings where people live, play, and work and learn… such as the workplace, the schools and of course the community.”
Prime Minister Harris noted that a number of outcomes are expected from the initiative over a six-year period.
“We want to achieve a 10 percent relative reduction of physical inactivity in the population by the year 2025, so we have set a goal for the next six years or so that we want to see more people become active, more people on the move,” he said. “Two, there should be a five percent increase in the population’s consumption of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and three, there should be a five percent increase in the number of persons accessing a least one medical check-up per year.”
Dr. Harris encouraged all to act fast and “don’t wait until you are sick to go visit the doctor, don’t wait until you are feeling the pain to recognize you need check-ups.” He further encouraged persons and reiterated that they schedule at least one medical check-up a year.
“The overall goal is to achieve a 10 percent reduction in preventable premature deaths to Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) by 2025,” he said.
