HSFB's Sweetened Beverage Mass Media Campaign

In March 2021, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados launched their ‘Are We Drinking Ourselves Sick?’ campaign. This campaign aimed to raise awareness of the negative health impacts of sweetened beverages (SBs) and call for public support of, and need for, government policies to decrease the consumption of SBs.

Like St Kitts and Nevis, Barbados has a high rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with 20% of Barbadians having diabetes, 66% of adults being overweight and 33% being obese. Additionally, over 80% of deaths in Barbados are due to NCDs. These statistics highlight the need for effective strategies to improve the public’s health.

Driving the high rate of obesity and NCDs in Barbados is the consumption of unhealthy foods that are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat, and the consumption of sugary drinks. These products are linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease and some types of cancers.

This current mass media campaign focuses specifically on SBs due to their very high content of sugar which means that consuming just one SB may lead to individuals exceeding WHO’s maximum daily sugar recommendation for adults.

The mass media campaign very effectively shows how a person’s sugar intake can significantly add up if SBs are consumed throughout the day, and the impact this can have on our health.

You can view the campaign video below and you can find out more here