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International Women's Day  March 8 2014

International Women's Day 2014 - March 8th is International Women's Day 2014, there are many events taking place across the Caribbean find out more here

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February 26 - March 4 2014

Healthy Caribbean Weekly News Roundup
Healthy Caribbean Coalition

HCC Feature

The CARICOM political declaration on noncommunicable diseases seven years on: an evaluation to accelerate further multi-sectoral implementation

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) of 20 countries and territories led the world in holding the first Heads of Government Summit on Non Communicable Disease (NCD) prevention and control in September 2007. The Port of Spain Declaration, “Uniting to Stop the Epidemic of NCDs” led the way to the United Nations High Level Meeting (UMHLM) in 2011. While the Declaration was a major achievement, it is clear that much remains to be done.

Heads of Government The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada confirmed at the end of last month that they will provide the financial support necessary to enable a detailed evaluation of the impact to date of the Port of Spain Declaration. The overall goal of this evaluation is to learn lessons that will support and accelerate its further implementation and thus to improve the prevention and management of NCDs throughout CARICOM.

The evaluation is being coordinated by the Public Health Group at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill, and involves CARICOM, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), UWI St Augustine (the Institute for International Relations and the Health Economics Unit), UWI Mona (Public Health), the G8 Research Group at the University of Toronto, and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition. Ministries of Health throughout CARICOM will be closely involved. The research undertaken will use a mixture of methods to assess the impact of the Declaration on national and regional policies. In addition, the potential to generate income for NCD prevention from taxes on alcohol and tobacco will be evaluated, and the international impact of the Declaration, such as on United Nations policy, will be assessed. The Healthy Caribbean Coalition will have a leading role in the dissemination of findings, ensuring that the messages get through to those who need to know and helping to hold to account those responsible for acting.

In summary, therefore, the gaps identified and lessons learnt will be used to increase implementation of prevention and control activities and to put in place what is required to monitor to 2025 the World Health Organization’s NCD targets and indicators. The work will begin in April this year, and the whole evaluation, including disseminating of its findings and drawing up plans for renewed implementation, will take three years.

Healthy Caribbean Coalition

News Roundup

Supporting Youth NCD Advocacy - The Belize Cancer Society leading on Multisectoral effort to beat Cervical Cancer

Young Belizeans In January the BCS conducted a community education drive aimed at creating cervical cancer awareness among young people at the St. John's College Junior College Health Fair. Over 150 young people signed the petition. The BCS is one of the five recipients of the Caribbean Civil Society Cervical Cancer Prevention Initiative (C4PI) managed by the HCC and funded by the Australian Commission Direct Aid Program funding. Through this innovative project, over 700+ indigenous women in Belize will recieve pap smears. In additon the project is also supporting the BCS contribution to the efforts around development of a national HPV policy. Education and training are also central elements of the project which includes a national cancer symposium and community outreach efforts to bring attention to cervical cancer and encourage Belizeans to sign the Caribbean Cervical Cancer Electronic Petition (CCCEP).

HCC President to present on the eSAC Caribbean Webinar Series - If you missed the first installment of the the eSAC Caribbean Webinar Series, tune in on Tuesday 11th March to hear HCC President Professor Sir Trevor Hassell speak on Public e-Health in Action. Read more or visit the website here

World Salt Awareness Week 2014 Switch the Salt! World Salt Awareness Week 2014 ‘Switch the Salt!’

WASH runs World Salt Awareness Week every year which receives widespread support from many countries around the world. This important week serves to highlight the importance of reducing salt intake in all populations throughout the world, and all countries are invited to participate; be it holding an event, creating media interest or generating awareness within local communities. To date WASH has received great support from its members. WASH is keen to highlight these activities and drive awareness on the important issue of salt reduction worldwide. Read more

NCD Alliance E-Alert - The NCD Alliance is Recruiting! - We are pleased to announce two job opportunities with the NCD Alliance team: Advocacy Assistant, based in New York and Communications Officer, location flexible (options include London, New York, and Geneva); WHO opens consultation on draft sugar guidelines; Updates on OWG 9; SDSN Consultation on indicators for Sustainable Development; Updates on the UN NCD Review. Read more

NCD Child NCD Child wants to hear the Voices of Youth!
At NCD Child, we make sure governments and leaders around the world think about children and young people when they make decisions about health. NCDs affect the lives of kids and young people all over the world, they for adults. We are asking young people around the world to create video messages or photo blogs to be shared online and shown to world leaders at the second NCD Child International Conference, 20 & 21 March 2014 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Let your youth networks know that they have the right to speak up and tell us what they want!. Read more

The Power of Young People - Here at NCDFREE, we believe that we have a secret weapon in global health! And that secret weapon is young people. As the generation who are more globally connected, more socially aware and more attuned to a sense of global justice, they will be the ones who can and must realign the direction of health and development worldwide. We have come to a crossroads - what this generation will do and how it responds to the great global health challenges such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes will determine whether it is possible to create a more sustainable and healthy world. Read more

2014 PAHO/PAHEF Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health - The call for nominations for the 2014 PAHO/PAHEF Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health is now open. Please be encouraged to share this invitation with your colleagues and submit nominations to any of the six awards we will present this year. Read more

WHO Sodium Guidelines Why World Salt Week Matters (2014)

For the last decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have been working to better inform governments and citizens around the world of the health effects of excess sodium consumption. Reducing salt intake is as important to prevent heart disease as stopping smoking, according to the WHO Sodium Guidelines. We know that for most countries, implementing a national salt reduction program is likely to be one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways of improving public health. Read more

Curacao Heart Foundation - First Aid, CPR & AED Course - Act, Support and Save is the motto of the Curacao Heart Foundation. Which is why we are organizing another First Aid, CPR and AED course to promote this. It will be held on the 15th of March 2014 at Rust en burg. Read more

Tools for Supporting Local Alcohol Policy in Ontario Making the Case: Tools for Supporting Local Alcohol Policy in Ontario - Alcohol-related harms are often experienced at a local level, directly affecting communities, roadways and neighbourhoods. Local alcohol policies can be an important and effective way to promote moderate alcohol consumption, support community values, raise awareness of harms, influence community social norms and promote healthier communities. Babor et al.(2010) describe alcohol policy as purposeful efforts or decisions to minimize and/or prevent alcohol-related harms. Policies can include implementing specific strategies, supporting priorities or allocating resources based on need. Read more

Barbados Take charge of your health now! - A Health EXPO will also be held on Sunday 9 March from 12:00pm at Breath of Life Seventh-Day Adventist Church, where amongst other things recent Food Safety training graduates will put into practice what they have learnt. Read more

University of West Indies Surgical Pathology Conference - Friday 11th April 2014, 8am - 4.30pm Main Lecture Theatre University Hostpital of the West Indies Kingston Jamaica. Read more

Systematic review on what works, what does not work and why of implementation of mobile health (mHealth) projects in Africa - Access to mobile phone technology has rapidly expanded in developing countries. In Africa, mHealth is a relatively new concept and questions arise regarding reliability of the technology used for health outcomes. This review documents strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of mHealth projects in Africa. Read more

QEH Connects - Lets get better together, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados is reaching out to communities across the country and will be at Queens College Secondary School, Husbands St. James on March 15th 2014 from 5.30pm. Ask questions about the QEH and also Dr. Vijash Chatrani Consultant Gynae-Oncologist will be showcasing HPV as it relates to Cancer find out the facts. Read more

Iterative development of Stand Up Australia: a multi-component intervention to reduce workplace sitting - Sitting, particularly in prolonged, unbroken bouts, is widespread within the office workplace, yet few interventions have addressed this newly-identified health risk behaviour. This paper describes the iterative development process and resulting intervention procedures for the Stand Up Australia research program focusing on a multi-component workplace intervention to reduce sitting time. Read more

NCD Articles on WebMD

  • How Much Do You Know About High BP? - If you think stress causes high BP (hypertension), think again. Make sure you have all the facts to keep your blood pressure in check. Read more
  • Care for Your Feet - Diabetes can cause nerve damage and even lead to amputation. Get tips to protect your feet. Read more
  • 11 Ways to Be More Active - Too much sitting is bad for your long-term health. Try these simple tips to get off the couch and boost your energy. Read more
  • 25 Super Snacks With 100 Calories or Less - These healthy, delicious bites can help you feel full without packing on the pounds. Read more

HCC News Roundup Archive - If you have missed any of our News Roundups you can view previous Roundups on our News Roundup Archive webpage here

HCC Featured - Previously featured Members, events and news can now be found on our HCC Featured webpage here

Healthy Caribbean Coalition
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Healthy Caribbean Coalition

The HCC is a regional network of Caribbean health NGOs and civil society organizations with the remit to combat chronic diseases (NCDs) and their associated risk factors and conditions. Our membership presently consists of more than 50 Caribbean-based health NGOs and over 55 not-for-profit organisations and, in excess of 200 individual members based in the Caribbean and across the globe.

To join the HCC email us at hcc@healthycaribbean.org.

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HCC Secretariat, Caribbean Catalyst Inc., River Road, St. Michael, Barbados, BB11155