Obesity in food handlers

The object of this study was to determine whether obesity is an occupational hazard in food handlers. 309 persons who presented to two Barbadian group General Practices for food handling certification were studied. The results demonstrate that a majority of food handlers were obese (55.3 percent), more so than in population studies despite the relatively young age of the sample. The men 67/104 (64 percent) were just as obese as the women 104/175 (59.4 percent) and obesity was seen in the relatively young age groups, 30-39 (60.9 percent), 40-49 (75 percent) and 50-59 (69.7 percent). Among food handlers obesity was seen more frequently than in those with sedentary lifestyles 76/116 (65.5 percent) and in those who worked more than 10 years in the food handling industry 91/140 (65 percent). No association was found between obesity and use of alcohol or tobacco, but among the food handlers studied were many who demonstrated inaccurate perception of their body image, with 74 of the 190 who thought their weight to be O.K. actually measuring as obese (39 percent). Obesity is most likely an occupational hazard in food handlers. They work in an industry that is growing rapidly in Barbados as tourism services expand and as the local population adopts the western lifestyle of eating out more often. Food handlers are required by law to be certified annually as fit to work. It is important that doctors recognize the threat of obesity and use the opportunity of this annual examination to screen and intervene for this hazard.

Ethical issues in Caribbean medical practice

In the Caribbean today, issues and perspectives of Medical thics are presently influenced by a profession that shows only moderate awareness and interest on one hand, and a society still discovering its entitlements and rights, on the other. In the past, society has changed its perspective of ethical issues quite dramatically. There is evidence that this is occuring in the Caribbean. The medical professionals involved in health care delivery, must shake off their lethargy in dealing with ethics, and through education, awareness and application, maintain the dignity of the profession, and restore the rights of the patient

An AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices survey among schoolchildren in Barbados

A knowledge, attitudes beliefs, and practices (KABP) survey was performed among Barbadian secondary schoolchildren 11-16 years old in January 1990. The survey sought to assess the children's knowledge of AIDS and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission; their attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS; their sexual practices; and changes needed in education programs seeking to reduce childhood HIV transmission. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used. The survey sample was derived by selecting every eleventh student on the rosters of all the secondary schools in Barbados. All of the survey respondents completed the questionnaire on the same day, having been assembled examination-style for that purpose. The results showed high levels of correct knowledge about the principal routes of HIV transmission. However, a considerable proportion of the respondents harbored incorrect beliefs regarding mosquito transmission and dangers to blood donors, and many showed uncertainty or incorrect knowledge regarding possible HIV transmission by bitting, spitting, or use of public toilets. About a third of the children (51,4 per cent of the boys and 18,7 per cent of the girls) said they had experienced sexual intercourse, though only 20 per cent reported being sexually active in the year preceding the survey. Three-quarters of the sexually experienced group said they knew how to use condoms, but only a third said there was any time when they had used protection during sexual intercourse. Overall, the results indicate that education efforts prior to the survey had been efective, but that reinforcement of such efforts as well as their extension into the primary schools is warranted. Further research directed at helping these efforts to encourage more meaningful changes in sexual behavior is also needed

Theraputics and family medicine update, 1985

The task of collecting and editing papers for publication is daunting and the cost of printing for a limited circulation is enormous, but the response to our first two CME books and the repeated enquires after this one have encouraged us to carry on. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is still a highly individual exercise, but a study of attitudes, practices and recommendations carried out in Barbados in 1983 gives food for thought. This study indicates that textbooks and journals are rated most valuable sources of CME, with medical meetings close behind. Since the University of the West Indies has accepted the responsibility of providing CME for practitioners in the region, publication of cheap, authoritative and up-to-date articles relevant to local needs is mandatory (Ed.)