Pretty regularly, my son, after being a bit “energetic” after dinner, runs up to me as I stand in front of the kitchen sink washing his dishes, grabs my legs in a hug, and says, “Daddy, I love you.” While cute and heart-warming, part of me can’t help but think about how, just a few minutes earlier, I had asked him to do something for his own good, only for him to ignore me in favour of playing with his cars.

In these small moments of parenting, so many lessons about life emerge. This particular moment brought me back to my Christian upbringing, specifically the teaching where Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”

As a parent, I often paraphrase this sentiment in more colourful terms: “Boy, if you really loved me, you would have just…”

This teaching holds a deeper truth: the requests made by loving parents are not to hurt, but to protect and nurture. Yet, when a child doesn’t listen but still professes love, it challenges us to reflect on the relationship between statements such as “if” and the actions that follow.

This brings me to the Steps survey. This year, like in 2014, the Ministry of Health has partnered with the World Health Organisation to collect critical data on non-communicable disease risk factors. The goal is simple yet profound: to gather the updated insights needed to develop interventions that help our communities thrive. But like the lesson I learnt from my son, this effort requires us to move beyond good intentions and take action.

Sadly, many population-based conversations, such as those the Steps survey could spark, never get the chance to materialise owing to low participation and engagement. This hesitancy reminds me of a conditional sentence: if we want change, we must act.

If we know that chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and dementia are major concerns for our ageing communities, if we know mental health issues are being overlooked among our youth, if we know violence, poverty and workforce challenges are breaking down the fabric of our society, then what are we doing to change the results?

I wrote this opinion because I acknowledge that change is hard. I know the burdens of community needs weigh heavily on those willing to help. But I also know the passion and innovation that exist within so many groups striving to make a meaningful difference.

Big change does not start with a full marathon or a record-breaking sprint. It starts with just a few steps. Participating in the Steps survey is one of those small but crucial actions. Because if we take a few steps, day by day, a better future is possible — for all of us.

• Ricky Brathwaite, PhD is the chief executive of the Bermuda Health Council