INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS THE SUCCESSES OF THE SKN MOVES INITIATIVE

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 08, 2023 (SKNIS) – The Ministry of Health hosted an awards ceremony on Thursday (November 07, 2023), as a way to recognize and say a big thank you to its partners and volunteers whose contributions were pivotal to the overall success of the different activities and programmes introduced under the SKN Moves Initiative.

The SKN Moves 3rd Annual Awards Ceremony recognized persons and institutions for their participation and support of events such as the 10K Charity Health Run, the SKN Moves 7-Week Campaign, the In Ya Kitchen Junior Chef Competition, the Drink Water Challenge, the Healthy Business Challenge and the Dare to Change Challenge.

Health Promotion Unit Coordinator in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Marissa Carty said the SKN Moves initiative has been an exceptional transformative tool that has helped to improve the lives of many persons in the Federation since its inception.

“SKN Moves has been an initiative that puts health education into action by encouraging and empowering persons who participate in our activities or events to just do it! They no longer talk about just wanting to walk or run but they actually join our 10K Charity Health Run and our health walks, nor do they just talk about wanting to eat healthy but they tune in and participate in our In Ya Kitchen cooking competitions and rethink their drink by replacing those sugar-sweetened beverages with water during our Drink Water Challenges” Dr. Carty said. “Finally, instead of waiting for health screening requests, we took the screenings to the churches, schools and businesses helping persons to stay informed about their numbers.”

Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew was amongst those present at Thursday’s awards ceremony. In addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Drew stated that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain one of the leading causes of death in St. Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean region, and as such, programmes such as the SKN Moves Initiative that promote healthy living and lifestyles are of tremendous importance.

The honourable prime minister also used the occasion to urge citizens and residents to take their health more seriously by consuming less sugary and salted foods, and to engage in more physical activities.

“If we were to do those simple basic things, our blood pressure as a country would be lowered, our blood sugar as a country would be lowered, our weight as a country would be lowered, our food bill as a country would also be lowered and that means you would have more health…and therefore I want to encourage us to really take some of the ideas from SKN Moves,” Dr. Drew said.

The SKN Moves initiative is a national programme targeting all persons in the Federation in an attempt to encourage individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles and behaviours to attain their highest levels of wellness and productivity. It was designed under the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Programme in the St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Health.

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