Childhood Obesity Call to Action Launched

by HCC

Childhood Obesity Call to Action
The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), took its Childhood Obesity Call to Action to Jamaica as it launched its regional Childhood Obesity Prevention campaign titled #toomuchjunk during the HCC’s Caribbean NCD Forum earlier this week. The campaign calls on the public to show their support at here as policymakers consider the need for urgent policies to ensure that our children are not being encouraged to consume too much sugar sweetened foods and beverages and junk food. The campaign is funded by the Bloomberg Foundation under its Global Health Awareness Incubator (GHAI).

Francine Charles

HCC’s Communications and Advocacy Officer for Childhood Obesity Prevention, Francine Charles

During the launch, HCC’s Communications and Advocacy Officer for Childhood Obesity Prevention, Francine Charles, asked the delegates to support “the heart of the petition”. She explained that the HCC fully supports in its Action Plan for 2017 – 2021, a multi-pronged approach to tackling the issue of Childhood Obesity and that there are social programmes and media campaigns being put in place in various territories.

However, she said,

we cannot escape the need for policy change, change that will create a supportive environment for all of the other work being done. We cannot escape the fact that there are tried and tested policy advocacy approaches that have made a difference all over the world.

The HCC plans to present the results of the toomuchjunk campaign at the upcoming CARICOM Heads of Governments Conference in Jamaica in July.

We need ALL CSOs and partners to do the following as we build momentum towards the CARICOM Summit:

  • Work with us to coordinate volunteers in your territories to go into the communities to amass hard copy signatures.
  • Engage major influencers in your territory including Civil Society leaders, politicians and celebrities to sign the Childhood Obesity Call to Action and send us the photos for use in our social media campaign. You should also use the photos in your local media.
  • Each of our CSO members need to send us photos or video of your staff signing the Childhood Obesity Call to Action for use on our Facebook Page and in our weekly Roundup as we capture “Civil Society Country by Country Support!”
  • Post the Childhood Obesity Call to Action link on all of your social media outlets to drive support for the petition.

More people are dying from obesity than starvation for the first time in the history of the world!
Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for NCDs

Thank you so much for your support.

We look forward to seeing those photos coming in and we will be checking in with you as the campaign moves forward.

Campaign Posters

Childhood Obesity Prevention Call to Action I'm in Trouble
Childhood Obesity Prevention Call to Action I'm at Risk
Childhood Obesity Prevention Call to Action I'm in Peril
Childhood Obesity Prevention Call to Action I'm in Danger
Childhood Obesity Prevention Call to Action I need a healthy diet
Childhood Obesity Prevention Call to Action I need to move
Childhood Obesity Prevention Call to Action I need more water