Grand Cayman, Tuesday, 13 February 2024-   The Newcastle University nutrition survey that launched in the Cayman Islands last month as one (1) of the five (5) British Overseas Territories (BOTs) selected, will be closing on Monday, 26 February 2024.

The Ministry of Health & Wellness (MHW), which asked for the public’s support in this academic research project, would like to thank those who have registered and to remind them to complete all three days of food diaries in order to complete the survey requirement.

“We are grateful for those who have registered so far, and we want to be clear that there is still time to complete your food diaries,” explains National Epidemiologist, Rachel Corbett.  “The survey is structured so that each participant inputs 3 days of food diaries and, upon completion, receives a personal nutritional report generated from their dietary information.  To ensure we gather good quality and meaningful data, it is important that those who take part input all three days of food intake information,” she adds.

Lead researcher Hannah Jones, Registered Dietitian (RD) and Doctoral candidate at the Department of Population Health Sciences at Newcastle University (UK) notes that there have been questions relating to the age range of participants, which is limited to 14-49 year olds.

“I appreciate this question, and it is a legitimate one,” Mrs. Jones begins.  “The reality is that services already exist to address issues of diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cardiovascular disease, which are usually aimed at the middle age and older segments of our population, because that is normally when we have expected to see these issues arise.  Unfortunately, we are seeing these non-communicable diseases occurring in younger and younger populations, which adds a tremendous burden to any health system.  So, by focusing on a younger demographic, we are able to gather data that will help us guide policy and programming decisions that will hopefully change lives before the problems arise,” she concludes.

To facilitate access to the survey, and to support this endeavour, the Ministry of Health & Wellness has created a direct link to the survey information and sign-up on its website: www.gov.ky/health-wellness<http://www.gov.ky/health-wellness> .

All Cayman residents ages 14-49 are invited to participate. The survey is live and will run until Monday 26 February, 2024.  Questions about the surveys should be directed to Hannah Jones on [email protected].