Healthy Nation 2012, the country’s first health risk factor survey, has received more support from the private sector with BAF Insurance Cayman joining as a sponsor.

The health risk factor survey is part of the Ministry of Health’s drive to address the rise in chronic diseases and will gather specific information on health risks such as dietary and exercise habits and alcohol and tobacco usage.

“High quality health statistics are essential for planning and implementing health policy. As such, data on what causes non-communicable diseases are crucial for predicting the future burden these diseases in our population. It is also essential for identifying potential interventions to reduce the future burden.

“In fact this is one of the most important initiatives that the Ministry of Health will undertake to improve healthcare and manage future healthcare costs in our country,” Minister of Health Mark Scotland said.

The minister thanked BAF Insurance Cayman for coming aboard, stating: “Our sponsors’ financial support has helped us to address one of the most critical challenges, namely budget. We are extremely grateful to BritCay, Cayman First, CINICO and BAF for coming on board as major sponsors. I also thank Fidelity, AON and Aetna for their support. This level of assistance from the private sector certainly validates the importance of this survey even further.”

Healthy Nation 2012 starts on Monday, 14 May when enumerators will start visiting the 2,100 selected households.