Patricia Watson
senior staff reporter
A sedentary lifestyle according to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is the quiet monster behind the high levels of chronic diseases affecting people across the world.
It is for this reason that today's World Health Day is being celebrated under the theme, "Move for Health". The idea is to raise the consciousness level of people around the world that regular physical activity is key to improving health.
In his message, PAHO Director, Sir George Alleyne, stated that "Living an active lifestyle today is inarguably imperative. Over the last quarter century, strong scientific evidence has clearly and repetitively shown that exercising regularly and practising sports open the doors to a healthy life and prevent or delay the onset of diseases that increasingly dominate the panorama of health in the region.
He added that the onset of obesity, diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases affect the poor and rich alike as well as persons of diverse cultural and ethnic origins.
"Along with the problems of excess caloric intake and high fat consumption in our contemporary diet, the sedentary lifestyle of urban life is the most serious problem confronting us today. In North America, the Caribbean and Latin America, nearly three quarters of the population, including children and adults, perform very little physical activity, and more than a third are victims of sedentary lives. This is the silent epidemic concealed behind the prevalent chronic diseases previously mentioned, and it is also the new challenge of public health", Dr. Alleyne added.
According to surveys on obesity in Jamaica, approximately 64 per cent of women are obese or overweight and about 39 per cent of men suffer the same maladies. One of the major reasons for this, according to experts, is inactivity.
The Move for Health theme is an extension of the Agita Sao Paulo which has been in place in Brazil for the past five years. Each year three major events focusing on the youth, the working people and the elderly are organised, each promoting physical activity. The success of the programme has been enormous with significant reductions in obesity and other lifestyle illnesses.
In an interview with The Sunday Gleaner, Victor Matsudo, one of the architects of Agita Sao Paulo stated that "urbanisation prevents physical activities and risk for accidents."
"By all means, Jamaica can have a good chance of success because we have the same culture as Brazil. We like fun, enjoy nature, we have a rich environment and we have people who like to get together in a plaza and celebrate," Dr. Matsudo said.
According to him, exercise tend normally to involve the wealthy, but with the Agita experience, everyone can benefit through walking, cycling or dancing for at least 30 minutes per day.
Speaking at the recently concluded International Conference on Diabetes and Obesity, Dr. Enrique Jacoby, regional adviser of PAHO's Food and Nutrition programme, noted that Govern-ments can do much to enhance physical activity among its citizens.
According to him, Governments must create environments which allow people to carry out physical activities at no cost. Some of these include parks and pedestrian-only streets.
PAHO representative in Ja-maica, Dr. Manuel Peña, agrees with Dr. Jacoby. According to him, there are several factors which prevent Jamaicans from being more active.
"There is a wide variety of limiting factors: lack of knowledge of the benefits of physical activity, lack of motivation and last but not least, lack of opportunities. One critical issue is the lack of safe areas to play outdoors and to practise sports. Lack of sidewalks and safe places to walk, or bike or run. Violence is also an important barrier," Dr. Peña said.
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Activities like this socarobics session at the Mas Camp Village can vastly enhance health.
