WRHA Promoting Physical Activity among Residents

The Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) is taking proactive steps to promote healthy lifestyle among residents in western Jamaica through its strengthened ‘Jamaica Moves’ programme.

The initiative, which encourages individuals to incorporate regular exercise into their daily routine, is seen as a critical part of the region’s efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCD) and improve overall wellness among citizens in the service parishes of Trelawny, St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland.

Regional Physical Activity Specialist at the WRHA, Orane Gardner, told JIS News that the authority has been working with schools to raise awareness about the importance of exercise for optimal health.

Among the institutions already visited are Wakefield Primary and Albert Town Primary in Trelawny; Cambridge Primary in St. James; and Pell River Primary in Hanover.

Mr. Gardner noted that several workplaces and communities across the four are also benefiting from the outreach.

He told JIS News that technical insights and assistance have been provided to ensure that physical activities are tailored to individual needs and are being done safely and maintained.

“When we identify a workplace or a community, we first try to sensitise [persons], after which we assess the environment,” he noted.

“The physical activity specialist can then conduct a fitness assessment, which is key in putting a programme together to cater to each individual based on their specific health condition. This is to enable us (WRHA) to find activities that they can do to improve on their physical health,” he pointed out.

He noted that the assessment involves testing various components of fitness, including flexibility.

“This will allow us to have an idea of their range of motion, and then there is the cardiovascular component to test their heart rate and how well their heart recovers after a minute of physical activity. This, now, will give us an idea about how to gauge the intensity of the exercises,” he explained.

Mr. Gardner said that the objective is to provide a regiment that guarantees consistency.

“After 90 days, we will be coming back to do your post assessment, and during that three-month period they will be communicating with us. Daily physical activity information is [relayed] to them daily, they complete surveys to let us know how they are feeling and if there was any change in behaviour,” he told JIS News.