Adult and childhood obesity continues to be one of Bermuda?s major health concerns.

This disturbing fact was made clear at the launch of Government?s National Health Promotion Strategy at the Fairmont Southampton Princess Hotel. More than 100 healthcare professionals attended a one- day conference at the hotel to discuss the major health issues facing Bermuda.

The participants also discussed action plans and strategies to create and maintain a healthy Bermuda. The participants heard that Bermuda generally has a high standard of health, but they were also warned that the country is facing a number of pressing health issues.

Overweight and obesity, heart disease, stroke, respiratory diseases, diabetes, accidents and violence rank high on the list of health concerns, followed closely by sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, mental illness, back/spine problems, cancer, substance abuse, smoking, chronic renal disease, and arthritis.

Government announced in the Throne Speech that it would implement a National Health Promotion Strategy to encourage positive lifestyle changes.

Statistics released at the conference show that Bermuda has alarming obesity levels with 25 percent of the adult population reported to be obese and 36 percent of five to ten year old children are overweight or obese.

Thirty-eight percent of adults are classified as overweight. The survey warns that the increase in expanding waistlines must be halted as a matter of urgency.

The reports states: ?It has been estimated that if the rate of increase in childhood obesity is not halted soon, this generation of children could be the first to have a life expectancy shorter than their parents.?

One of the action items in the Government Health plan is to find ways to decrease the proportion of overweight or obese adults by 63 percent and to decrease the proportion of overweight or obese children and adolescents between the ages of five and ten by 35 percent and children and adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 by 25 percent.

Diseases of the circulatory system are the leading cause of death in Bermuda. In 2005 35 percent of all deaths were due to circulatory problems.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of people suffering from high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

In the 1999 Adult Survey only five percent of respondents reported having high blood pressure and two percent reported having high blood cholesterol, however by the 2006 Health Survey 25 percent reported having high blood pressure and 34 percent reported having high cholesterol.

Chronic renal (kidney) disease is also a major public health problem both globally and in Bermuda. It accounted for 2.4 percent or all deaths in Bermuda in 2005.

Accidents and Violence were the third leading cause of death in Bermuda in 2005.

Seven percent of all deaths last were attributed to accidents and violence, more disturbing however, is the fact that 74 percent of all accidental and violent deaths in 2005 were men aged 15 ? 44 years (51 percent) and 45 ? 64 years (23 percent).

Other notable facts contained in the Strategy are:

1. The incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Bermuda has increased since 1999. There were 461 STI notifications in 1999. That number increased to 642 in 2005.

2. Children in Bermuda enjoy generally good health. Child and infant deaths in the past decade have been negligible, as is the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases in children.

3. In Bermuda the proportion of births to adolescent mothers aged 13 ? 19 had decreased in recent years, from nine percent in 1999 to 5.5 percent in 2005.