Data from JHLS IV to Be Used as Guide by Health Ministry

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is to use data from the fourth Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey (JHLS IV) as a guide in formulating policies.

The 15-month survey, to be carried out by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Epidemiology Unit, will be used as a guide for the allocation of health resources, and the evaluation of the impact of public health interventions.

Addressing a contract-signing ceremony for the project at the Ministry’s New Kingston office on Wednesday (June 18), portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said focus will be on the leading causes of illness and death in the country, specifically non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

He noted that the Ministry has conducted studies before, in collaboration with  partners at the UWI and other stakeholders, adding that the “data on lifestyle diseases or NCDs, the current state of the population, as it relates to how affected or afflicted they are from NCDs, must be studied”.

“Hopefully, a kind of direction as to where we need to go, what we need to focus on, how we need to neutralise, cauterise, and prevent these diseases is a very important part of the overarching strategy,” the Minister said.

Dr. Tufton argued that the survey gives an opportunity to develop specific and targeted programmes, as it captures age cohort, some geographic distribution, and what are some of the main causes of illnesses, including ignorance, “people not knowing”.

“Too many Jamaicans don’t know [their health status] until they end up in an accident and emergency ward. They don’t know that their blood sugar level is out, and they don’t know they are hypertensive, until they get a stroke. So, those are the sort of practical realities that we have to confront and deal with, which is why the data is so important,” the Minister said.

Data from past surveys have had a significant impact on national health planning.

The last round, JHLS III, revealed that one in three Jamaicans was living with high blood pressure, and nearly half of those affected were unaware of their condition.

It also showed that more than 50 per cent of adults were overweight or obese, and fewer than 20 per cent were getting enough physical activity.