Kim Wilson, the Shadow Minister of Health, has reissued a call for a “sugar tax” in the wake of alarming new obesity statistics.

A recent survey revealed that nearly three quarters of Bermudians — 74.6 per cent — are either overweight or obese.

Meanwhile, the same survey found that 42 per cent of Bermudian adults have three or more chronic disease risk factors.

Responding to the figures, Ms Wilson told The Royal Gazette: “With obesity being the major cause of a number of chronic diseases, chronic diseases which have a huge impact on our medical system, we as a community should all work together to raise the awareness of the dangers associated with this preventable disease.

“We should work together to develop strategies to promote healthy lifestyles which include eating right and increasing our physical activities. We should focus on our youth so that they learn early the importance of this.”

Ms Wilson reiterated past calls for a serious discussion on the introduction of a sugar tax, which would encourage more sensible eating habits by make less healthy categories of food and drink more expensive.

“We are all aware that the over consumption of less healthy foods and beverages, including foods and beverages with a high calorie, fat, sugar and sodium content, and a low nutrient content leads directly to being overweight and obese,” she said. She also suggested limiting advertising of unhealthy food options, stating: “Research has demonstrated that more than half of television advertisements viewed by children and adolescents are food-related — the majority of them promote fast foods, snack foods, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverage products, and other less healthy foods that are easily purchased by youths.

“Major food and beverage marketers spend billion’s of dollars annually to promote food and beverage products among children and adolescents. Television advertising has been determined to influence children to prefer and request high-calorie and low-nutrient foods and beverages.”

Ms Wilson also suggested that employers be required to provide facilities for women to breast feed their children, noting that studies have linked breastfeeding to a lower risk of young children being overweight.

Diabetes educator Sara McKittrick of the Bermuda Diabetes Association said the group were involved in the survey and are actively involved in tackling the “obesity and overweight epidemic” which is linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.

“We hosted a week long health symposium in June, with a team from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) to address the issues with key stakeholders in the community,” she said. “Obviously we are strong advocates for the reduction in the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, drinking water only, increasing intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, decreasing fast food intake and increasing exercise throughout all levels of the population.

“We all must come together to bring about a heightened awareness to increase personal responsibility as well as strongly considering legislated action to improve the health of our population.”