An academic research project is looking into nutrition in a selection of British overseas territories, including the Cayman Islands.
Hannah Jones, a registered dietitian and doctoral candidate at the Department of Population Health Sciences at Newcastle University in the UK, is conducting the research.
She is investigating the dietary habits of residents in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Her aim is to better understand the territories’ unique and diverse dietary practices and needs, a government press release said.
“There is a lack of information across the British overseas territories about dietary habits, dietary/nutrient intake data and how this might be affecting the health of their populations.
“Without local data, it is difficult for policymakers to ensure that policies and strategies have the intended impacts and outcomes for their unique communities,” Jones said.
She added that understanding what and how the population eats and drinks can ensure the cost-effective use of public health resources.
The dietician will be conducting pilot population-based online nutrition surveys in each territory to gather the data.
The Cayman survey is aimed at participants ages 14-49 and will gather information on what they have eaten and drunk over the course of two weekdays and one weekend day.
“If participants complete all three days of entries, the system will then generate a nutrition report based on their own input,” Jones said in the press release.
“This nutrition reports offers great visual information on number of calories consumed, types and quantities of foods eaten from different food groups, and how their consumption compares to USDA guidelines for a variety of nutrients.”
The survey is live and will run until Monday, 26 Feb.
The anonymised information will be used to create a final report, which can be used to inform national health and nutrition policies, and health promotion activities.
“Of course, as a pilot survey, we’re also trying to see if this strategy and method actually works for your population, and produces relevant, useful dietary information,” Jones said.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness is not conducting the survey nor will it have access to any personal information submitted.
However, national epidemiologist Rachel Corbett said the ministry is supportive of academic endeavours that provide a better understanding of the population’s health and wellness.
“We know that while this will not be a comprehensive study for the whole population in the Cayman Islands, the findings will help to guide us and perhaps even determine if this is an area where more work needs to be done,” she said.
Corbett encouraged interested residents to take part. For more information and to sign up for the survey click here.
Questions can be directed to Hannah Jones on [email protected]
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