Bad health habits are killing Barbadians

Bridgetown.

Poor health habits such as poor diet, smoking, physical inactivity and alcohol abuse are responsible for 40 percent of the deaths recorded in Barbados, says Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Senator Irene Sandiford Garner.

She  said  Barbados ranks third among the top ten countries in the world with the highest mortality rates attributable to chronic  non- communicable diseases.

Accord to Sandiford-Garner, this ranking had profound implications for the planning and execcution of health programmes and has caused the Ministry of Health to shifted its focus to addressing the high risk factors, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity which is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and  the development of some cancers.