Tobacco Use
Tobacco use can damage every part of the body and is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a general term for conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels.
What is secondhand smoke?
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Smoke you do not mean to breathe in or you inhale involuntarily from someone. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20–30%.
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Quitting Tobacco Use
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Have you smoked or used any tobacco products in the last 12 months? (for example, cigarettes, cigars, pipe, water-pipe, chewing tobacco, snuff)
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Do you currently smoke or use any tobacco products?
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Does anyone smoke around you at home or at work, or do you often go to places where there is a lot of smoke such as restaurants or bars?
If no to all three questions, we advise you not to start smoking and to avoid secondhand exposure.
If yes to any of these questions, we caution you on the risks associated with tobacco smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
Quitting is the best action tobacco users can take to improve their health. Quitting has immediate and long-term health benefits, including living up to 10 years longer.
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If you have considered quitting or will like information on how to quit tobacco use, continue to read more.
Quitting tobacco is the most important thing you can do to protect your health now and in the future.
Advantages:
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Tobacco use is a major cause of heart attack and stroke, serious lung problems, and certain cancers.
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Tobacco can damage every part of the body
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Second-hand smoke damages the health of your family and others around you
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Quitting Tobacco Use
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Are you interested in quitting tobacco use?
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Do you think you can succeed in quitting?
If yes to both questions:
We invite you to develop a Quit Plan using the STAR method:
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Set a quit date, ideally within 2 weeks
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Tell family and friends about quitting and ask for support
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Anticipate challenges in the quit attempt
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Remove tobacco products from your personal environment and make your home smoke free
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or you can seek care at your nearest wellness clinic or your family doctor.
Other benefits of quitting include:
a) Benefits to health after quitting
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Decrease cough and shortness of breath
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Risk of heart attack decreases
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Reduces the likelihood of impotence (the ability to get an erection and keep an erection firm enough for sex.)
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Reduces difficulties in getting pregnant, giving birth early, or having a miscarriage
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Reduce asthma and ear infections (due to secondhand smoke)
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Improved appearance, less wrinkling/aging of the skin, and whiter teeth.
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In addition to quitting smoking, smokers can receive pharmacological treatment
b) Financial benefits
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Less money spent on tobacco, more savings
c) Social benefits
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Personal environment (home, car), clothing, and breath smell better.
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Once a parent has stopped smoking, their children become less likely to start the habit and more likely to quit if they smoke already.
If you smoke tobacco products and will like support in quitting, we invite you to attend Chronic Disease Self-Management Programme (CDSMP)
CDSMP: (268) 462-4127
Clare Hall Health Center
or Nutrition Department,
Ministry of Health: (268) 462-5522
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What is an Unhealthy Diet
An unhealthy diet is characterized by:
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a low intake of fruit and vegetables
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high intakes of salt, fats, and sugars.
​An unhealthy diet contributes to obesity and overweight. Unhealthy eating habits can also result in a range of other conditions, including cancer and diabetes.
Dietary Guidelines
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Choose to eat a variety of foods every day
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Include a variety of vegetables ain your daily meals
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Choose to eat a variety of fruits daily
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Limit the use of salt, salty foods, and salty seasonings
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Reduce the intake of food and drinks that are high in sugar and fats
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Make physical activity a part of your daily routine
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Feed your baby breast milk only for the first six months of the baby's life
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Use safe food handling and food storage practices
What is a Healthy Diet?
A healthy diet is important to address hypertension, diabetes and obesity and help prevent heart attack and stroke.
How many portions of fruits and vegetables do you eat in one day?
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1 portion is equivalent to 1 orange, apple, mango, banana, or 3 tablespoons of cooked vegetables
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Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day
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Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes (lentils, beans) nuts and whole grains (unprocessed corn, millet, oats, wheat, brown rice), starch tubers or roots (potato, yam, sweet potato or cassava), and foods from animal sources (meat, fish eggs and milk).
Healthy Diet
Are you ready to make changes in your diet in order to include more healthy food options?
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Do you think you will succeed in making the changes?
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If yes to both:
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Begin by thinking of ways to increase the amount of fruit and vegetable each day
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Think of the healthier types of food that you enjoy and that you could eat instead of the less-healthy option
​The following are the healthy options you should eat:
At least five portions of vegetables and fruits per day (one portion is equivalent, for example, to a single orange, apple, mango, banana, or 3 tablespoons of cooked vegetables).
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Note that potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava or other starchy tubers or roots do not count as one of these portions.
Healthy Diet
The following are the healthy options you should eat:
Use little Salt: 1 level teaspoon
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This is less than 5g of salt per day.
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This includes adding salt while cooking or eating, as well as salt contained in ultra-processed foods and bread.
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An ultra-processed food is any food that has been altered in some way during preparation. Food processing can be as basic as freezing, canning, baking.
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If you have a chronic disease and will like to learn more on ways of improving your nutrition, we invite you to register for our Chronic Disease Self-Management Programme (CDSMP
CDSMP: (268) 462-4127
Clare Hall Health Center
or Nutrition Department,
Ministry of Health: (268) 462-5522
Using unsaturated fats/oils instead of saturated fats and trans fats can help to control cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Trans fats are found in:
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ultra-processed food
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fast food
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snacks
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fried food
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frozen pizza
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pies
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cookies
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margarine
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spreads​
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Saturated fats are found in:
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butter, ghee, lard, coconut oil and palm oil
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fatty cuts of meat
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sausages
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bacon
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cured meats like salami, chorizo and pancetta
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cheese.
Unsaturated fat:
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avocados and avocado oil.
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olives and olive oil.
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peanut butter and peanut oil.
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vegetable oils, such as sunflower, corn, or canola.
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fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel.
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nuts and seeds, such as almonds, peanuts, cashews, and sesame seeds.
What are the benefits of Physical Activity?
Physical Activity includes exercise and also covers a range of bodily movements and activities of daily life, such as playing, working, walking, household chores and recreational activities.
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Regular and adequate levels of physical activity help to reduce the risk of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, various types of cancer (including breast and colon cancer) and depression. Physical activity also contributes to weight control, diabetes control, improved blood pressure and improved levels of cholesterol and other blood lipids.
Advise:
All Adults should do at least 2 ½ hours (150 minutes) of physical activity per week.
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This can be spread over short sessions throughout the day and week, starting from as little as 10 minutes per session.
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Being more active can start in small ways which are part of daily life. This can include going for a walk, playing with children, gardening and domestic chores.
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Physical Activity
Are you ready to start being more physically active?
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Do you think you will be able to succeed in increasing your activity level?
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If yes to both:
Why do you not develop a plan to start increasing physical activity.
Begin by identifying areas in your daily lives where you can start to increase your physical activity.
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Identify activities that you enjoy doing
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Identify possible challenges and how to overcome them
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Talk with family, friends and work colleagues about their efforts to increase physical activity.
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Use of devices to monitor physical activity may be helpful– pedometer etc
What are healthy levels of physical activity for adults?
Some physical activity is better than none. Inactive people can start with small amounts of physical activity (even as a part of their normal daily activities) and gradually increase duration, frequency and intensity.
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Adults should perform any of the following
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at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (a mild increase in heart rate or breathing rate resulting from, for example, brisk walking, climbing stairs, dancing, gardening or doing household chores) spread throughout the week, or
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at least 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity ( including vigorous gardening, running, fast cycling, fast swimming, or playing sport) spread throughout the week, or
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an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activity;
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muscle-strengthening activities involving major muscle groups on two or more days a week
If you have a chronic disease and will like to learn more on ways of improving physical activity, we invite you to register for our Chronic Disease Self-Management Programme (CDSMP)
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CDSMP: (268) 462-4127
Clare Hall Health Center
or Nutrition Department,
Ministry of Health: (268) 462-5522
Harmful Use of Alcohol
Harmful use includes high-level drinking each day, as well as single or repeated episodes of drinking to intoxication. The risks related to alcohol are linked to the pattern of drinking, the amount of alcohol consumed, and sometimes, the quality of the alcohol consumed.
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High levels of alcohol consumption are associated with the following:
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Increased risk of heart disease as alcohol damages the heart and increased risk of stroke.
Do you ever drink alcohol?
If yes,
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How often do you have an alcoholic drink?
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How many alcohol drinks do you have on a usual day when you are drinking?
If you drink fewer than 2 units per day and drink on 5 or fewer days, you may be affected by the following:
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Increased risk of a heart attack or stroke
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Increased risk for cancers
Best way to avoid health risk is to abstain.
If you do drink alcohol, keep in mind that “less is better”
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For people who drink more than two or more units per day, who drink on more than five days per week and/or have any indication that alcohol could potentially be a problem:
Your drinking habits could be harmful to your health. If you like support to stop drinking alcohol, we invite you to attend the Chronic Disease Self-Management Programme (CDSMP)
CDSMP: (268) 462-4127
Clare Hall Health Center
or Nutrition Department,
Ministry of Health: (268) 462-5522