Since 2007 when the Caribbean Heads of Government declared that the second Saturday in September should be celebrated as Caribbean Wellness Day, schools in theCaribbeanhave been involved in various activities. The observance is mainly to increase awareness and control of the incidence of chronic non- communicable diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
For the past four years, the School Health Service in the Department of Education has organized a Healthy School Day in celebration of Caribbean Wellness Day. On that day all students and staff of the primary schools gathered in the school yard and participated in exercises for about 15 to 20 minutes. This year, the Albena Lake- Hodge Comprehensive School (ALHCS) joined in the celebration. In addition, two pre-schools engaged in exercise sessions.
The promotion of healthy lifestyle was emphasized throughout the day. Everyone was encouraged to eat healthy meals, especially healthy snacks. The eating of fruits, particularly local fruits such as genips, almonds, sugar apples, guavas, sherries, grapes and tamarind, was encouraged. It was stressed that the nutritional value of local fruits was greater in some cases than that of manufactured juice. Rather than drinking sodas and juice, the intake of water was encouraged. This helps to prevent dehydration especially at this time of the year when the weather is hot. The importance of eating vegetables was stressed. Food vendors on and around the schools’ premises were also encouraged to provide healthy snacks for sale to students.
Everyone was advised to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep daily. Sleep rejuvenates the body. Also they were encouraged to practice good hygiene at all times.
School Health Nurses take this opportunity to thank the students,school staff, parents, vendors ,MPSS staff, TRC staff Education Officers and all those who assisted in making this day a success.
– Contributed
