Nutrition Programme Targets Poor Communities

SLUG:NUTRITION... JULY IS HEALTH AND NUTRITION MONTH - AND FOR RESIDENTS OF TARGETED AREAS IN BELIZE CITY THAT MEANS A SCHEDULE OF EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS ABOUT COMMON ILLNESSES. IT'S BEING SPEARHEADED BY THE WOMEN'S DEPARTMENT WHICH IS GOING INTO PORT LOYOLA, QUEENS SQUARE AND THE LAKE INDEPENDENCE AREAS. A SERIES OF SESSIONS WILL BE HELD IN THESE SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITIES TO RAISE THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS ABOUT HYPERTENSION, DIABETES, CANCER AND OTHER DISEASES. SHARON MCKAY FROM THE WOMEN'S DEPARTMENT TOLD US THAT MORE THAN JUST TALK THESE SESSIONS WILL SHOW HOW SMALL LIFESTYLE CHANGES CAN PREVENT THESE DISEASES..... Sharon Mckay, Women's Department "The sessions will be facilitated by qualified doctors as well as a nutritionist who will be talking about nutrition, just before we go into these health issues or diseases. We're targeting Port Loyola, Lake Independence and Queen square - and if you'd notice these three areas are areas on the southside - because we simply believe that the women on the southside are more at risk especially when it comes to their eating habits. These diseases can be prevented is you eat properly and if you have a healthy lifestyle - and so what we want to do is to bring to these areas understanding, realistic and scientifically sound information to them. I know at some point in time they have been haring information but we want to bring something that they could really understand. So we want to come down to earth to them." TOPICS THAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE SESSIONS ARE CANCER, DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, NUTRITION AND PREGNANCY, STRESS, CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER AMONG OTHERS. THE VENUE WILL BE THE COMMUNITY CENTERS FOR LAKE INDEPENDENCE, QUEEN'S SQUARE. AND PORT LOYOLA. SESSIONS WILL BE HELD ONCE WEEKLY ON MONDAYS, TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS IN DIFFERENT AREAS STARTING AT 6:00 P.M. ANYONE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING CAN PICK UP A SCHEDULE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN'S AFFAIRS TO FIND OUT WHAT SESSIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE NEAR YOU.... ENDS...