Fight Cancer By Making Active & Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Almost a quarter of the deaths recorded in Barbados annually are caused by cancer.

One in four Barbadians, or 24.5 per cent, fall victim to the disease, which is affecting the population in many forms – colorectal, prostate, cervical, liver, and breast cancer.

During his message for World Cancer Day, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Davidson Ishmael, recently reiterated the call for Barbadians to beat back cancer by adopting more active and healthier lifestyles.

This year’s theme was “United by Unique”, emphasising that while persons may have unique experiences, they are joined, collectively, by cancer and its impact.

While he acknowledged the role genetics played in cancer, he said it was largely a lifestyle disease, which means each Barbadian can reverse the current statistics by making changes to what they ate and drank and how much they exercised or “moved”.  Mr. Ishmael noted that research showed 40 per cent of cancers are preventable.

Lifestyle choices, such as physical inactivity and unhealthy diets, which are high in sugar and unhealthy fats, lay the foundation for obesity, which serve as a platform for the increase in cancers, he warned.

He said the Ministry of Health and Wellness was doing its part to prevent and reduce the incidence of cancer in the population by implementing various strategies.

“Firstly, we have our healthy school meals initiative, which is focused on reducing processed foods in our School Meals Service, and we are, in fact, replacing those meals with more balanced meals that are rich in fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Secondly, we’re focused on increasing our access to screening because we understand that early detection makes a major difference when it comes to cancer prevention and cancer treatment. Evidence shows that smoking is still the leading cause of many preventable cancers, and increased use of alcohol increases the risk of developing alcohol associated cancers, such as colorectal, breast, and liver cancer.

“We have introduced warning labels on tobacco packages. We have increased public awareness campaigns relative to the use of tobacco, and at the same time, we are now increasing our public awareness relative to the reduction of the use of excessive amounts of alcohol as well. Another one of our initiatives relates to our efforts to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, and we’ve done that through the introduction of our sugar sweetened beverage tax,” Mr. Ishmael stated.

The Minister of State added that the Ministry was also promoting workplace wellness policies, encouraging employees to increase their physical activity. He pointed out these were just some of the initiatives and policies they have embarked upon to reduce the country’s cancer risk.

He encouraged Barbadians to make healthier choices by:

• Increasing their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and reducing consumption of processed foods.
• Increasing their levels of physical activity; 30 minutes a day is recommended.
• Taking advantage of all of the screening opportunities that have been made available.
• Reducing alcohol consumption and tobacco use.
• Seeking medical attention wherever necessary.

“Each action that we take takes us closer to a healthier Barbados. United in our uniqueness, let us join our forces together to reduce the cure gap and to eliminate preventable cancers in our society,” Mr. Ishmael emphasised.