Ignoring a Silent Killer: Obesity & Food Security in the Caribbean (Case Study: Barbados)

Abstract

Obesity and obesity-related diseases – such as type 2 diabetes – have become the most crucial indicators of population health in the 21st century. Formerly understood as ‘diseases of affluence’, obesity is now prevalent in the Global South posing serious risk to socioeconomic development. This is particularly true for rapidly developing countries where nutrition transitions are most apparent. There are many factors which impact on risk of obesity (e.g. gender, culture, environment, socioeconomic status, biological determinants). The problem is further aggravated within small island developing states where food security is exacerbated by factors associated with globalization and development. The thesis examines the surge of obesity and type 2 diabetes within Caribbean populations, using Barbados as a case study. A holistic approach was applied using an ecological health model. Moving away from the lifestyle model, the theoretical framework underpinning included sub-theories (e.g. social constructivism, feminism, post-colonial theory, concepts of memory and trauma).