Healthy lives, education and wealth: ecological relationships in social resilience

ABSTRACT

[EXTRACT]. A key feature of this special supplement of the Pan American Journal of Public Health is its focus on the state of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Caribbean. The negative value chain impact is its effects on economic growth and childhood educational outcomes. Thus, there is an ecological relationship between interventions to support dietary diversity, improving successful transitions from school to work and economic growth in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Since the 2007 Declaration of Port of Spain the region has made insufficient strides towards realizing the vision of reducing childhood obesity. In 2015, the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) endorsed a 6-Point Policy Package (6-PPP) to promote healthy food environments and reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. The strategy supports the Caribbean Plan of Action to Prevent Childhood Obesity and the 6-PPP comprises mandatory food labelling, nutrition standards and guidelines for schools and other institutions, food marketing and portion sizes, nutritional quality of food supply (levels of harmful ingredients), trade and fiscal policies, and food chain incentives, particularly for fruits and vegetables.