Students Encouraged to “Drink Water” at SabaFit Kickoff

Students of the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS )were encouraged to “DrinkWater” at the first SabaFit kickoff event at the Johan Cruijff Court last Friday. The SabaFit campaign is a yearlong event which aims to encourage young people to maintain a healthy weight by developing healthy habits.

The SCS was the first school on the island where the program has been introduced. The kickoff event coincided with a Sports Day for all students at the school. The day started with a marathon of 40 students and teachers, which ran from the school to the sports field, rather than running on the main road participants had to run on through the Crispeen track that leads from St. Johns to The Bottom.  The winner of this event was Shurendy Windfield.

At the Johan Cruijff Court the students were given a refillable water bottle with “Drink Water” splashed across the front. The intention is for children and young adults to drink more water and less carbonated and sugar laden soft drinks.

SabaFit coordinator LaToya Charles then explained to the students that the programs were started in The Netherlands as JOGG(Youth at a Healthy Weight)  in order to prevent childhood obesity, because “childhood obesity increases the likelihood that a person will be obese as an adult and being obese as an adult increases the risks of certain cancers and other conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease.”

Commissioner of Health and Sports, Bruce Zagers and Ms. Charles also unveiled a sign commemorating Saba as JOGG municipality. The sign will remain in place through the duration of the campaign.