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Senator Longmore Suggests Education Campaign Targeting Expectant Mothers

By: , June 17, 2017

The Key Point:

Government Senator, Dr. Sapphire Longmore, is suggesting the roll out of a multi-media education campaign on holistic health care targeting expectant mothers as well as fathers.

The Facts

  • This campaign, she said, would help to reduce the incidences of adverse childhood experiences which contribute to health problems, including mental health issues, in later years.
  • Dr. Longmore was opening the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday (June 16).

The Full Story

Government Senator, Dr. Sapphire Longmore, is suggesting the roll out of a multi-media education campaign on holistic health care targeting expectant mothers as well as fathers.

This campaign, she said, would help to reduce the incidences of adverse childhood experiences which contribute to health problems, including mental health issues, in later years.

Dr. Longmore was opening the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday (June 16).

She noted that the campaign will include information on all aspects of nutrition, growth and development, disciplining, conflict resolution, exercise, financial planning, spirituality, recognition of the early signs of disease and disability, and the power of play.

Dr. Longmore said it would be an expansion of the proposed parenting programmes to be rolled out by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

“A multimedia campaign of the nature being visualized for our expectant mothers can be done now to enhance the health of our population in the present but also significantly our future generations by passing on valuable information in a well-timed manner,” she said.

The Senator noted that such a campaign is important in addressing from early, issues that may lead to adverse childhood experiences such as trauma; sexual, emotional, physical and verbal abuse; neglect; and lack of bonding and attachment.

“These adverse childhood experiences are shown to impact negatively on brain development, compromised functioning of the nervous and immune system with resultant predisposition problems such as alcoholism, depression, eating disorders, unsafe sex, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases,” she said.

Making note of the Ministry of Health’s proactive approach to addressing physical illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, Dr. Longmore stressed the need for an all-encompassing approach to healthcare which the campaign will seek to address.

“Not only are we to take a paradigm shift in preventing physical disease but we must embark on recognizing the expansion of that thinking into an approach of holistic preventative healthcare,” she said.

Last Updated: June 17, 2017

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