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Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 13, 2017 (SKNIS): ‘Wear your sneakers to work this Friday, September 15, and do more walking’ is the message from health officials in St. Kitts and Nevis, as they promote what has been dubbed “National Sneaker Day.”

 

The initiative is listed on the official month-long calendar of events marking St. Kitts and Nevis’ 34^th Anniversary of Independence on September 19. It has been organized in commemoration of Caribbean Wellness Day 2017, observed annually on the second Saturday of September.

 

Dr. Merissa Carty, the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Programme Coordinator in the Ministry of Health, said the main intention is to get persons moving more, which is particularly useful for those who drive to work and go directly from the car to sit behind a desk. However, the support of employers is critical to the initiative’s success.

 

“We are encouraging as many of our business places and organizations and even government departments to, as much as possible, allow their employees to wear their sneakers, encourage more physical activity, encourage more walking, especially with the rise of more functional walking focused sneakers like the Vessi waterproof shoes. ” Dr. Carty said on Wednesday’s (September 13) edition of the government radio and television programme “Working for You.”

 

This message seems even more poignant given that a new study released on Monday, September 11, 2017, highlighted the dangers of sitting for excessively long periods. The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and said there is a direct link that shows as total sitting time increases, so does the risk of an early death. The study was done in the United States among 7985 black and white adults aged 45 years or older.