WOD 2025: Snippets from the Caribbean

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and its members embraced this year’s World Obesity Day theme, tackling key issues through print media, social media, webinars, and capacity-building activities.

Healthy Caribbean Youth Takes Over Instagram!

Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY), the youth arm of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, hosted an Instagram Live session titled Tackling Childhood Obesity in the Caribbean – A Youth-Led Conversation. The Caribbean has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity globally. During the discussion, HCY members - experts in nutrition, physical activity, and mental health - shared insights on this pressing issue and explored solutions.

Watch on YouTube now

HCC Launches HLM4 Advocacy Priorities for Healthier Lives during webinar

The link between obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is undeniable, and the Caribbean continues to experience some of the highest obesity rates worldwide. HCC’s webinar introduced the regional civil society Advocacy Priorities to inform negotiations for the upcoming 4th UN High Level Meeting on NCDs and CARICOM action beyond in lead up to the 2030 SDGs. The webinar highlighted urgent threats and priority actions, particularly in the context of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Discussions focused on key issues such as the commercial determinants of health, health systems strengthening, the NCD-climate change nexus and the critical need to centre people in the NCD response.

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados Launches Protect Us! Campaign

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados launched their newest campaign - Protect Us! It’s Time to Ban Unhealthy Food Marketing in Schools along with partners Healthy Caribbean Coalition, UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. The campaign is “calling on policymakers to take action and enforce restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks to children in schools. It questions the presence of marketing activities amidst the removal of unhealthy food and drinks, while highlighting that the school nutrition policy restricts marketing activities in and around schools. Stronger enforcement is essential to protect children from long term exposure to marketing, which influences their food preferences and consumption patterns into adulthood”.

Jamaicans Take to Print Media

Debbie Chen, Executive Director of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica took to the media to raise awareness of the impact of ultra-processed products on obesity and the need for policy-level intervention.

Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY) Member, Offniel Lamont, wrote an Op-Ed for print and digital media uptick - Strengthening Systems for Healthier Lives: Tackling Obesity in the Caribbean. Regional Newspapers published the article online and in their daily news underscoring the importance of school nutrition policies, awareness campaigns and strengthening health systems while incorporating physical activity in management of overweight and obesity. This was published by media houses in the Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Grenada so far.

A Call to Action

Some members, such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Antigua and Barbuda, seized the opportunity to issue a public call to action to address obesity.

Similarly, Jamaican youth advocates voiced their concerns during UNICEF’s Fix My Food Campaign webinar, held on World Obesity Day. They shared their experiences in advocating for a healthier Jamaica, including their active role in advancing the School Nutrition Policy and pushing for the implementation of Front-of-Package Warning Labels.