Data collection, climate change, and mental health were just some of the matters raised at the opening of The UWI St Augustine Campus’ 2025 National Health Research Conference (NHRC) on Tuesday.
Now in its sixth year, the NHRC will spotlight groundbreaking research and critical discussions under the theme “Climate Change: Impacts on Public Health.”
Speaking on Day 1 of the Conference, Health Minister Dr. Lackram Bodoe noted that an urgent factor affecting health is the ever-evolving threat of climate change.
“It is a present and growing threat to public health. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events and shifting ecosystems are impacting air quality, water safety, food security, and the spread of infectious diseases. Vulnerable populations, children, the elderly, and low-income communities bear the brunt of these effects, and of course we have to reflect on the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Jamaica recently.”
The Health Minister also flagged the negative impact of transportation and traffic stress on health, and how important it is for more research to be done on this.
The link between climate change and health was continued by the President of the University of the Southern Caribbean, Colwick Wilson, who said ignoring the direct health connection to climate change is unhealthy.
“The Caribbean already carries some of the highest burdens of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity in the world. When you add more intense heat and humidity, you don’t get spectacular disasters, you get a quiet shift in everyday risk.”
The USC President said this leads to a whole new focus that can be easily overlooked: mental health consequences, especially for the youth.
“Young people are very clear about this. When you listen to them in clinics or in school, climate risk now sits in the same mental space as jobs, violence, and migration. It shapes whether they believe they have a future where they can count on. After major events, we see a rise in anxiety, depressive symptoms, family stress, and sometimes substance use and violence.”