Health Promotion and Education Officer for St Ann and author, Kerry-Ann Patterson-Blake, is hoping to make a good impression with her recently released children’s book – ‘War Against the NCDs’ (Non-Communicable Diseases).
NCDs are typically caused by unhealthy behaviour and are the leading cause of deaths globally.
Examples of these are: Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, epilepsy, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and cerebrovascular disease (stroke).
The book is about a group of kid superheroes who fight various NCDs and learn about the wide-ranging types of diseases, the symptoms and effects, as they go along.
Patterson-Blake expressed the hope that the publication will be added to the booklist for the 2025/26 academic year
“The National Standards Curriculum has an area for [information about] lifestyle diseases to be taught… the Health and Family Life Curriculum also has the same. So, if I could get [my publication] on the book list as a supplementary reader or as a text, it would be awesome for the 2025/26 [academic year],” she said.
Patterson-Blake said she intends to publish a workbook to accompany the storybook.
The author states that the idea came from data she has been exposed to, working in health education.
“As health education officers, we must read before we deliver content to the public. When we read, we find out that seven out of 10 persons, according to the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey, die from an NCD,” she says.
“We are also finding that 40 per cent of those affected by NCDs are not aware. So, with that said, and so many adults… dying, I thought we could reach our children. That is why I wrote that story… to try to appeal to the younger populace. I believe if we can reach them now with these positive messages, we can, perhaps, change their eating habits,” Patterson-Blake said.
Patterson Blake has also published a colouring book titled: ‘Colour Me Healthy from A-Z: Destroying Non-Communicable Diseases’.
