Exercise - the West Indian experience: Position statement

ABSTRACT

The lifestyles of Caribbean population have changed dramatically over the last 40 years from predominantly plantation economies with heavy manual labour to predominantly tourism and services industries with a marked reduction of physical activity. Knowledge, attitude and practice surveys indicated that the majority of adults interviewed do not undertake significant physical activity outside of their work. In Barbados 47 percent claimed to do so, but the key activity, brisk walking, was undertaken only by 28 percent 60 percent of men and 43 percent of women said they never walked. In Trinidad only 17 percent of men and 6 percent of women reported taking regular exercise. In both countries secondary education was associated with a two-to-three fold higher frequency of exercising. In Barbados, with the highest education and literacy rates, a minority of people over 60 have secondary education, and these figures was much lower in other Caribbean countries. The over 60 population, with a 50 percent prevalence of diabetes are at greatest risk of exercise deficiency and constitute a major challenge for lifestyle change which would improve both diabetes control and cardiovascular fitness. The entire population, however, has undergone a socioeconomic and sociocultural transition which has had a dramatic detrimental effect on health. The major thrust for prevention and management of diabetes and related diseases (obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and cardiac disease), must therefore be the promotion of healthty lifestyles.(AU)