SUNDAY 6TH JULY, 2014 – UWI TODAY
11
Obesity research exists
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) held
its 59th health research conference in Aruba at the
beginning of May 2014.
On the eve of the conference, CARICOM Chief
Medical Officers came together to discuss public
health issues and concerns, such as Chikungunya.
There were also updates on the status of childhood
obesity prevention policies and programmes in the
region.
According to CARPHA’s website, the conference
was“a feast”of over 130 paperswith four oral sessions
coveringNCDs (non-communicable diseases), aswell
as sessions on family health, infectious diseases, HIV,
health systems strengthening, environmental health
and nutrition. Participants came from 18 countries
and included research scientists, policy makers,
healthcare providers and students.
The website informs that, “Discourses were on
cancer surveillance; the economic benefit of NCDs
intervention; the Sick-kids Caribbean initiative, which
provides treatment opportunities for Caribbean
children with cancers; preventable maternal
death in the Caribbean; and the development of
innovative approaches to themanagement ofmental
disorders.”
Figures can really tell a story
It is something to note that this was the 59th research
conference for CARPHA, and that in this one alone,
130 papers were presented. If that has happened
on a similar scale for every gathering, then more
than 7,500 research papers have been presented –
at this one forum alone. It is a lot. But just as it says
something about the volume of research that is being
done, it says precious little about where that research
goes and how it is being applied.
Professor Lexley Pinto Pereira (now Emerita
Professor at The UWI) has been part of a team
with Professors Surujpal Teelucksingh and Terence
Seemungal doing all manner of research into
medical conditions as diverse as metabolic disease
and lung function with obesity as a cardinal finding,
and uncovering associations. Following their earlier
reports on the typical skin hyperpigmentation
(acanthosis nigricans) as a herald of future diabetes,
the teampresented papers at the conference directly
linked to obesity like these two:“Acanthosis nigricans
is associated with higher waist circumference and
bodymass index in adolescent children inTrinidad”–
researchers, S. Pooransingh, F.Lutchmansingh,L. Pinto
Pereira, T. Seemungal, S. Nayak and S. Teelucksingh;
and “Comparisons of body shape perceptions with
measures of body mass among adolescents in
Trinidad” – researchers: F. Lutchmansingh, S. Nayak,
S. Pooransingh, L. Pinto Pereira, T. Seemungal, and
S. Teelucksingh.
Researchers at The UWI have done several
studies linked to the metabolic syndrome, diabetes,
obesity, lung function—on my desk a small pile of
papers from Prof Pinto Pereira had five papers each
on the subjects, and this was just research she and
her colleagues had been directly involved in.
The point is that, as with everything else, the
researchhas tobe applied for it tobemeaningful, and
oftenresourcesarelackingforproperimplementation.
On the subject of childhood obesity, proposals at the
CARPHA conference included using school-feeding
programmes to change eating habits; preparing new
legislation, protecting children from “obesogenic”
environments and including youth in programme
design and development. But they had to concede
that after reviewingMember State programmes they
could not properly evaluate thembecause theywere
either too short to be effective or had no proper
measuring devices.
he writes, saying that the Chief Medical Officer
of the UK has warned that sugar is an addictive
substance, likely to be as addictive as heroin,
cocaine, nicotine and alcohol. “The food industry
knows this,” he ends grimly.
As a medical doctor, he brings a credible
measure of first-hand knowledge when he
describes the impacts, the symptoms and the costs
of this large range of CNCDs.
Still, there is a surprising amount of ignorance
about them and their relatives.
Take for instance, Metabolic Syndrome, the
name given to cluster of factors that significantly
increase the risk for CNCDs. People with
Metabolic Syndrome are twice as likely to die
from, and three times as likely to have a heart
attack or stroke compared with others. It’s a bit
like those Lotto and Play Whe cages with the
balls inside. One ball might be a large waistline.
Another, a high LDL level (what we call high bad
ENERGY
HEALTH
cholesterol), or it might be low HDL (the good
one). Then there’s the high blood pressure ball
bouncing dangerously close to the high fasting
blood sugar ball. Throw in a smoking ball, a
snoring ball, and if you put in your hand and pull
out three of those balls then you might as well say
No. 4 (Dead Man) call.
The growing figures for obesity, the growing
numbers of sufferers, the growing cost of health
care, all of it has not come overnight. The increase
in childhood obesity is not confined to the
Caribbean, it is global; we’ve just taken it to the
extreme as usual.
What it means is that yet another generation
is starting with yet another disadvantage.
We have failed them in education, damaging
their minds; we’ve neglected and abused them,
scarring their souls; and we’re failing them in
health, mashing up their bodies.
Isn’t it time we do something right?
“Roti is the root of all evil...
little has been
done to dent the local desire for roti, bread, bakes,
dumplings and all the other white flour treats”
Dr Theo Poon-King
“diabetes was
more common
in Trinidad than
in North America
and Great Britain.
Today, the
mortality rates
from diabetes and
cardiovascular
disease are higher
than in North
America”
