Strengthening the Education Sector Response to School Health, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean Region : A Rapid Survey of 13 Countries

Abstract

Recent studies point to a number of
 current and emerging concerns in the health and nutrition of
 school-age children in the Caribbean region. Critical among
 them are: infectious diseases including HIV and other
 sexually transmitted infections (STIs); non-communicable
 diseases (NCDs); and violence. Common health conditions
 including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease in the
 adult population can be positively linked to unhealthy
 lifestyles in youth. These health challenges, combined with
 a large school-age population, which in some countries may
 be a sizable third of the overall population, make a strong
 national response to the health and nutritional needs of
 school-age children particularly vital. As lifelong patterns
 of behavior and thinking are established during youth, it is
 critical to ensure early and widespread promotion of healthy
 practices related to sexual behavior, nutrition and a
 healthy lifestyle in general in the school-age population,
 resulting in a healthier adult population in the future. The
 rapid survey and this resulting report contribute to the
 collection of locally relevant evidence, as well as regional
 information relevant to School Health and Nutrition (SHN)
 and HIV, to build a sound evidence base at both country and
 regional levels to inform policy and strategy. It has
 further application as a resource for knowledge sharing as
 it provides a comparative perspective on activities and
 initiatives thus far implemented throughout the Caribbean
 region, and on the allocation and mobilization of resources
 used to support these activities and initiatives.