Dominica launched Caribbean Wellness Month 2022 Friday last week. The purpose of the initiative is to raise awareness about NCDs within Dominica and the Caribbean.
Caribbean Wellness Day is observed yearly by Caricom countries on the second Saturday of September. Dominica has expanded the celebration from a day, to a week, to a month.
Coordinator of Health Promotion Unit, Mrs. Mignon Rolle- Shillingford opened the ceremony with a detailed explanation of NCDs and the effects on citizens. She noted that a strong emphasis will be placed on Mental health along with all other NCDs.
Rolle-Shillingford stated that NCDs are the leading cause of deaths in the Caribbean. Statistics show that 76.8 percent of total deaths are caused by NCDs.
In Dominica, NCDs account for up at least 90% of deaths. She expressed that while the number is high, most cases can be prevented by cutting down on alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking and second hand smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets which contributes to obesity and childhood obesity.
The main causes of death In Dominica are:
The theme for this year is ‘Power through collective action’ and the sub theme is ‘Our neighborhood our health.’
