The Ministry of Health & Wellness will this Thursday (August 25) resume face-to-face implementation of its flagship ‘Jamaica Moves’ campaign, at a launch event dubbed ‘Jamaica Moves Reloaded’, hosted to re-energise the public to comprehensively and collaboratively tackle lifestyle diseases.
The event, to which all members of the public are invited, will be hosted at Turtle River Park in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, beginning at 10:00 am. It will feature, among other things, back-to-school medicals, health checks, nutrition counselling and food preparation demonstrations. The Jamaica Moves Reloaded event will be hosted by Jenny Jenny and Tedroy Gordon, with live performances by QQ and Tyreke Dirt.
Jamaica has for many years been challenged by the scourge of lifestyle or non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including hypertension, diabetes and cancers. According to the latest Jamaica Health & Lifestyle Survey, seven out of 10 Jamaicans die from a NCD each year while one in three has hypertension and one in eight has diabetes.
As part of the response, Jamaica Moves will, in the coming months, see activations in communities, schools and workplaces, bolstered by a multi-platform public education campaign, as the Ministry moves to reduce the burden of preventable morbidity and disability and avoid premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases and injuries by 25% by 2025.