“RUN!” “HOME!” “OUT!” across the Caribbean, these were the sounds of childhood, calls that sent us sprinting across fields, dodging outs, and racing for safety. Before the term physical activity entered our vocabulary, these were the words that kept us moving. Whether it was a bat striking a ball, a rope turning in rhythm, or feet hopping between chalked lines, we ran, jumped, and exercised in the purest form: play.

Our childhood was defined by movement. In Barbados, children turned sidewalks into courts for road tennis, gripping wooden paddles and rallying across chalked lines. In Trinidad and Tobago, games of Scotch, Moral and Peesay had children hopping, balancing, and jumping in rhythm, while marble pitch kept us crouched low, aiming and competing with steady hands. Across the region, games like rounders and chase filled open spaces with energy. Or what about Jamaica? Where Dandy Shandy, and Stuck and Pull had children moving joyfully, filling the air with squeals of delight. Every island had its own calls, its own rhythms, its own rules, warnings shouted, victories claimed, and laughter shared.

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St. Vincent Times: Caribbean Youth Advocates call for return to traditional play

HCC/HCY: How Did We Get Here? Let the Children Play

This HCC webinar in collaboration with PAHO, CARPHA, and the OECS Commission provides a timely opportunity to highlight policy progress, share lessons learned, and strengthen collective efforts toward regional NCD prevention and control.

Image: Barbados Today

Barbados Today: ore than four in ten Barbadian children are overweight or obese, according to new research that public health experts are calling a national crisis requiring urgent, society-wide action – including entrenching the school nutrition policy in law. 

According to estimates from the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) observatory data, the proportion of Barbadian children aged five to 19 who are overweight or obese increased from 33 per cent in 2012 to 42 per cent in 2022. 

In disclosing the sobering new figures at a media conference held by the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition (BCOPC) at the 3Ws Oval, UWI Cave Hill, on Thursday, senior lecturer at the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, Dr Madhuvanti Murphy, warned that the rate continues to rise. 

“We are seeing some alarming trends in terms of obesity and overweight in children in Barbados,” she said.

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Barbados Today: Farm expert urges healthy foods subsidies to fight obesity crisis

CNW: The food children eat at school is shaping lifelong health habits, contributing to rising obesity rates and diet-related diseases in Jamaica and across the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned.

PAHO officials highlighted that food environments in and around schools, including canteens and nearby vendors, strongly influence children’s diets. Ultra-processed snacks high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats are widely available, while nutritious options like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains remain limited. 

“Children are constantly exposed to foods that crowd out healthier choices, shaping taste preferences and eating habits from a young age,” said a PAHO spokesperson. “This exposure increases the risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) later in life.”

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Sagicor: Hosted by Dr. Kenneth Connell, President of the HCC and Deputy Dean of Recruitment and Outreach at the UWI Faculty of Medicine, The Wellness Effect is a video podcast series designed to educate our communities about the dangers of NCDs. It will show the impact on not just their physical but their financial wellbeing. The series is a partnership between Sagicor, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and the UWI Faculty of Medicine.

Image: Dominica News Online website

Dominica News Online: The Government of Dominica will soon convene a national consultation to bring greater focus and clarity to the growing concerns of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCDs) on the island. 

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit made the disclosure during a press conference held this week. 

It has been reported that during the past decade and a half, Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCDs)—including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and high blood pressure—have been the leading cause of death in Dominica.

Dr Marcia Johnson-Campbell, regional coordinator for priority non-communicable diseases at the Western Regional Health Authority
Image: Jamaica Gleaner

Jamaica Gleaner: Jamaica is facing a bitter truth about its sweetest habit. From vending machines on university campuses to roadside coolers and taxi stands, sugary drinks have become the nation’s go-to refreshment. But behind every bottle of soda or sweetened juice lies a growing health crisis – one that doctors warn is quietly fuelling epidemics of hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease across the island. 

“In Jamaica, the research shows that more than half of people consume sugary drinks every single day,” said Dr Marcia Johnson-Campbell, regional coordinator for priority non-communicable diseases at the Western Regional Health Authority.

PAHO: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched a new series of policy briefs to support countries in strengthening long-term care across the Americas, in response to rapid population aging and growing care needs. 

In Latin America and the Caribbean, an estimated 14.4% of people aged 65 and older — around 8 million individuals — require long-term care, a figure projected to rise to 16% by 2050.

EarthMedic and EarthNurse are not-for-profits with global scope, with special focus on climate-vulnerable regions, anchored in the Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS), and based in Trinidad and Tobago and England, UK.

PAHO: Thursday April 30th, 2026 at 10:00 am (Washington D-D. time or EST) on the webinar "Prostate Cancer: Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment". This is the first session of the new Cancer Prevention and Control Webinar Series that will take place in 2026, organized by PAHO in partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Journal of Public Mental Health: We’re excited to announce a new special issue on 'Physical and Mental Health: The journey to integration (promotion, prevention, care and recovery)' led by a fantastic team of guest editors: Dr Antonis Kousoulis MD, DrPH, Stephanie Whiteman, MPH, John Pateña, DrPH, MPH, MA and Tabitha Ellis! 

This issue aims to improve our understanding of integration of physical and mental health and offer solutions. We welcome submissions from academics, policy makers, practitioners, NGOs and people with lived experience.

Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026.

• The Pulse of Tomorrow: Shifting the Paradigm for NCDs in Global Health Architecture
• Investing in the Health Workforce is a Pillar of Accountability
• First National Symposium and Roundtable for Action on NCDs in Cameroon
• Updates from Recent Discussions on Global Health Architecture
• New Mini-Film on NCD Academy: Fighting NCDs Through Free Global Education
• Increasing Access to Inhaled Medicines
• WHA79 is Drawing Near! Submit Your Events to Our Calendar

World Health Day Across the Caribbean

Studies conducted by the University of the West Indies (UWI) estimate that 1 in every 4 adults in some Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have diabetes. More worrying is the doubling of overweight and obesity in children less than five years, along with the high rates in adolescence, as obesity is one of the major risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes.