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Trinidad and Tobago has lost 1,368 people to Covid-19 to date, a number that could have been much lower if we were a healthier society.
This is the view of the president of the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Andrew Dhanoo, who says the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) which is rampant. already in the T&T.
Dhanoo’s comments come as the Caribbean marks Wellness Week 2021 (which started yesterday and ends Friday), an initiative to promote healthy lifestyles and fight NCDs.
Speaking to the Sunday Express yesterday, Dhanoo noted that there is evidence around the world that people with NCDs are more vulnerable to the severe effects of Covid-19 and to death.
He said most of the people who succumbed to Covid-19 at T&T had at least one NCD.
The daily updates from the Department of Health also list patient deaths as “with comorbidities” or “without comorbidities”.
Last month, of the 214 deaths from Covid-19 recorded, 191 had co-morbidities.
Between September 1 and September 11, 68 people died from the virus. Sixty-six of them had co-morbidities.
And last week, Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram noted that 48.4% of people isolated at home with Covid-19 had comorbidities, with diabetes and hypertension accounting for the largest proportion of comorbidities found in these patients.
Dhanoo said if the country had better control of the NCD epidemic, deaths from Covid-19 may have been lower.
He said the latest official figures from 2020 place T&T at a prevalence rate of 15% for people living with diabetes (around 200,000 people), while other local studies have suggested that another 20 to 25 people could have prediabetes.
“We have also seen the surprising trend of more children developing type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult diabetes, because we know that more than one in three school-aged children are overweight. or obese.
Dhanoo attributes the problem to the immediate availability of unhealthy food and lack of exercise.
“We simply have too much cheap, convenient, high-calorie food at our disposal, and not enough opportunities to spend this excess energy that we consume,” he said.
“These items have also become so handy, you can stand on any street in any T&T town, turn around and you are guaranteed to see at least one fast food restaurant … We now have an environment obesogenic, leading to increased waist circumference and NCDs that develop because of it.
Dhanoo fears that T&T will bring an even more unhealthy society out of the pandemic.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our entire lives, and we will see the effects again for many years to come. I’m concerned that one of the consequences of having fewer opportunities to exercise and more food at home could fuel the NCD epidemic, ”he said.
“For now, the fire to be put out is Covid-19, but we need to prepare for an increase in the incidence of diabetes and its complications in the near future.
“We need to plan now for the full reopening of the company. How can we get families to become more active? How can we give people a better chance for healthy diets? How to work with people at greater risk? These are all strategies that we must design now before it is too late.
He said that there should also be an effort to increase sustainable agricultural production in T&T, since the price of fresh and healthy food is often very high.
“This, along with education campaigns that start in childhood, can change our population’s relationship with food and physical activity. “
Dhanoo urged people with diabetes to make sure they take care of themselves, watch what they eat, stay active and get vaccinated.
“We want to encourage all people with diabetes and other NCDs to get vaccinated against Covid-19, if they haven’t already.
“We are well advanced in the pandemic to know that the vaccine can save your life, and it will allow us all to start doing the things we love again,” he said.
Too much sugar, salt and fat
Trinidad and Tobago Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians (TTANDi) president Laura Roberts-Hall said she believed restricting gyms and outdoor activities for some time during the pandemic would have a negative impact on the overall health of the population.
But she said people shouldn’t use this as an excuse not to exercise because there are plenty of other ways for a person to stay active, including online fitness classes, YouTube videos, and more. exercise in your garden or living room.
She also lamented the preponderance of fast food and processed snacks in T&T.
She said these industries have a role to play in the fight against NCDs.
“These industries can do their part by reformulating certain products where possible to include less added sugar, salt and fat. In addition, these industries may introduce front-of-package warning labels on their products.
“Most of the time, consumers don’t know what is in the food they eat and how badly excessive amounts can be for their health,” she told The Sunday Express.
“Front-of-package warning labels will help consumers quickly identify what’s in the food they eat and help them make an informed decision about what to put in their body. . “
She took issue with claims that eating healthy is expensive and said even people experiencing loss of income due to the pandemic can make the most of their food budget.
“There is a misconception that buying fast food is more affordable than preparing a healthy meal,” she said.
“When you do the math, preparing your meals not only costs less, but you get multiple servings of that same meal.
“A home-cooked lunch can easily feed at least four people for lunch, with leftovers to eat for dinner or the next day.
“Eating healthy on a small budget is not impossible. It does, however, require planning and preparation.
She suggested replacing meat with peas and beans as a source of protein, drinking water instead of sugary drinks, and baking whole grain bread at home instead of having store-bought bread. .
In addition, she encouraged the preparation of snacks at home instead of buying packaged and processed snacks and buying local vegetables that are cheaper than those imported abroad.
She advised people with NCDs to protect themselves from Covid-19 by maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, taking medications prescribed by their doctor, and following Ministry of Health guidelines.
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