Jamaica Moves Celebrates First Anniversary

In celebration of Jamaica Moves’ first anniversary, the Ministry of Health staged an all-day exercise and wellness event at Emancipation Park on Friday (April 13), with activities for fitness enthusiasts and other persons living in Kingston and St. Andrew.

There were work out and consultation sessions, physiotherapy, health screenings and dental checkups, all free of cost.

Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, who participated in the day’s activities, said the decision was made to return to the Emancipation Park, where the programme was unveiled in April 2017, because the facility promotes exercise and healthy lifestyles, through the areas that are open to the public for jogging, running, yoga and other things.

“We are back one year after to show that it is working and people love it,” he said.

He noted that Jamaica Moves is about three important things – knowing your health status; eating balanced diets; and engaging in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day.

These, he said, will help in reducing the onset of non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes, heart conditions, cancers and chronic kidney disease.

Dr. Tufton advised that all Jamaicans can reduce their risk by doing simple exercises daily at home and drinking more water.

“Any kind of exercise will work. Some examples are: walking around your house, walking down the street, jogging on the football field, joining a gym, dancing, swimming and riding.

“Do it at least half an hour a day, every day, and that will increase your chances of not getting sick,” he said.

Jamaica Moves is part of the National Strategic and Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs, which covers seven main categories of diseases: cardiovascular conditions, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, sickle cell, mental health disorders and chronic renal failure.

The campaign also focuses on community-level interventions to facilitate increased physical activity among the population.

In 2017, Jamaica Moves hosted a Corporate Challenge, where members of the private sector were encouraged to form teams, register with the campaign, and participate in ongoing activities, including six 5K races on the national race calendar.

The Victoria Mutual Group emerged the winner, having completed all six 5K races, with Jamaica National Bank winning the Company Spirit award for registering the most participants.