"Jamaica Moves Programme" to be expanded to schools

JAMAICA: To save the nation's youth from getting non-communicable diseases (NCDs) health minister Christopher Tufton said that the "Jamaica Moves programme" will be expanded to schools and it will start from this month.
"The Jamaica Moves team will be focusing more on direct contact and engagement with youth" said Dr Tufton.
"Because of the success of the programme, we have all concluded that it must continue and it must expand, so we are going into the schools come this month into next month. It'll be gradual, so the launch will be a soft launch, and the aim is to get our younger population to be more active through physical education," he said.
He noted that some aspects of the intervention in schools will be guided by the new nutrition policy, which will become effective next year.
Jamaica Moves is part of the National Strategic and Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs, which covers seven main categories of diseases - cardiovascular conditions, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, sickle cell, mental health disorders and chronic renal failure.
"Beyond that, the programme will be more active in the workplace. We're going to be pushing a lot of health and wellness programmes. We've already commenced that through the training of instructors, who will be made available to corporate entities to organise health and wellness programmes within the workplace," the minister said.
Dr Tufton pointed out that Jamaica Moves will also continue to focus on community interventions.
"There will be the normal activation in the field at the community level, not just in the town squares, but around health centres in the smaller towns, so expect a lot more from Jamaica Moves and its initiatives," he said.
The campaign was launched in April 2017 and focuses on community-level interventions to facilitate increased physical activity among the population.
In 2017, Jamaica Moves hosted its inaugural Corporate Challenge, where members of the private sector were encouraged to form teams; register with the campaign; and participate in ongoing activities, including six 5K races on the national race calendar.
Author Profile
Monika Walker is a senior journalist specializing in regional and international politics, offering in-depth analysis on governance, diplomacy, and key global developments. With a degree in International Journalism, she is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices through factual reporting. She also covers world news across every genre, providing readers with balanced and timely insights that connect the Caribbean to global conversations.
Latest
- Oasis of the Sea brings thousands of visitors to St Kitts an...
-
Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison for a... -
World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025: Sprint Queen Julie... -
Puerto Rico: Cruise passenger jumps overboard to evade $16K... -
Trinidad and Tobago: Heavy rains trigger flash flooding acro...