UNIVERSITY of Guyana (UG) Health Sciences Lecturer Lois Stephanas has said the inculcation of healthy eating habits and regular exercise in adolescents may be key factors in preventing chronic diseases like cancer, heart diseases, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, which are among the leading causes of death in Guyana.

Stephanas holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the Kurnool College of Nursing in Andhra Pradesh, India, and a Masters Degree in the same discipline specialising in nutrition from the St John’s College of Nursing in Bangalore, India.

In an exclusive interview with the Chronicle, Stephanas, who lectures in the UG Faculty of Health Sciences of the Department of Public Health, indicated that eschewing the widespread availability of fast foods and maintaining healthy eating habits and adequate daily exercise could stave off many of those negative conditions.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 66 per cent of all deaths occurring in all age groups in Guyana. Of this percentage, cardio-vascular diseases (CVD) account for 36 per cent of deaths; cancer 8 per cent; diabetes 8 per cent; respiratory diseases 2 per cent; and other NCDs 12 per cent.

PROBLEM STUDIED
In a study titled ‘An Assessment of Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviour of Adolescents in Selected Secondary Schools of Guyana’, Stephanas found that participation in healthy dietary and physical activity behaviours among adolescents at 12 selected schools was far from optimal.

The study utilised a cross-sectional Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey, and some 724 students from Forms 1 to 4 participated. Selected schools were Anna Regina Secondary and Johanna Cecelia Secondary (Region 2); Leonora Secondary and St. John’s Secondary (Region 3); Soesdyke Secondary and Golden Grove Secondary (Region 4); Rosignol and Fort Wellington Secondary (Region 5); New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary and Winifred Gaskin Memorial (Region 6); and Cummings Lodge Secondary and Houston Secondary (Georgetown).

From the study, conducted in 2013-2014, Stephanas found that 54 per cent of the participants engage in physical activity that made them sweat and breathe hard for at least 20 minutes; 48.7 per cent on average play video games for one or more hours; 56 per cent do not attend Physical Education classes, and only 12.6 per cent and 12.9 per cent of students ate two or more cups of fruits and vegetables respectively.

HIGH SUGAR CONTENT
The researcher also found that 85.9 per cent of youths consume soda at least once per week, and about a quarter reported consuming soda twice per day. Practically all soft drinks are high in sugar content.

Stephanas told this publication that the consumption of soft drinks — which are high in sugar content — is contrary to recommended dietary guidelines.
“Half of them (participants) consume energy drinks that are high in caffeine and other sweetened beverages in daily quantities that may be displacing more nutritious beverages, such as milk,” she said.

Stephanas also pointed out that only a quarter of the youths were consuming recommended daily amounts of milk. She noted that milk helps to increase bone strength; builds a stronger immune system; and prevents illnesses such as hypertension, dental decay, dehydration, and respiratory problems.

She said the high consumption of sweetened beverages and those high in caffeine, coupled with lack of exercise or no exercise at all, are unhealthy for adolescents and are habits that should stop the earliest.
Continuing in these habits, she stressed, would make the children vulnerable to non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

Stephanas also found that while Physical Education is on the curriculum of the schools which participated in the study, the subject was not implemented in all of them.

Some of the schools, she noted, did not have Physical Education teachers, and the majority of the students who did not participate in the subject were girls.

STRONG, HEALTHY BODIES
Stephanas emphasised the importance of children exercising regularly. She pointed out that it helps to refresh their minds, build strength, and develop strong and healthy bodies. She noted that poor eating habits and lack of exercise could lead to illness or premature death later in life.

Stephanas is also recommending that the Ministry of Education collaborate with the Ministry of Health and other associated organisations in Guyana to develop specific school health policies that focus on strategies to inculcate healthy dietary lifestyles and physical behaviours in students.
She contended that schools can play a critical role in improving the dietary and physical activity behaviours of children and adolescents by creating an environment that is supportive of healthy eating habits. This, she said, can also be supported through active implementation of policies and practices that support healthy eating and regular physical activity, and by providing opportunities for students to learn about and practise these behaviours.

GUIDELINES

Stephanas’s study has identified nine guidelines to achieve this goal. These are: use of a coordinated approach to develop, implement and evaluate healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices; establishment of school environments that support healthy eating and physical activity; providing a quality school meal programme, and ensuring that students have only appealing, healthy foods and beverage choices offered outside of the school meal programme; implementation of a comprehensive physical activity programme with quality physical education as the cornerstone; implementation of health education that provides students with the knowledge, attitudes, skills and experiences needed for lifelong healthy eating and engaging in physical activity; providing students with mental health and social services to address healthy eating, physical activity and related chronic disease prevention; partnering with families and community members to develop and implement healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices and programmes; providing a school employee wellness programme that includes healthy eating and physical activity services for all school staff members; and employing qualified persons and providing professional development opportunities for physical education, health education, nutrition services, and health, mental health, and social services staff members; as well as staff members who supervise recess, cafeteria time, and out-of-school-time programmes.

Stephanas said these guidelines were adopted from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; and while resource limitations would be a constraint, they could be implemented incrementally.

The UG lecturer presented a PowerPoint version of her research at the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s (CARPHA) 60th Health Research Conference, which was held in June in Grenada.

By Tajeram Mohabir