Police Officers Urged To Take Charge Of Their Health
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Social Welfare Association (TTPSSWA) is taking a proactive stance to promote health consciousness among officers, with a focus on both physical and mental well-being.
« Prevention is better than cure, » was the general consensus by both officers and medical practitioners at the Association’s Health Fair at the Transit Police Unit.
According to TTPSSWA Treasurer Sergeant Jason Johnson, this initiative was born from the observation of fellow officers succumbing to illnesses resulting from lifestyle diseases. He said this is their attempt at encouraging officers to make better choices.
« Officers will know and will understand that their health and their wellbeing mean they would really be subjected to a quality of life that is not one of the best. So, we want them to pay a lot more attention to what is going on with their personal bodies, their mental capacity. »
Health and wellness practitioners are encouraging individuals to adopt a more proactive approach to managing their overall health, with some even seeing increased young adult participation.
« It is a very good mixture, actually, um, it’s nice to see young people, um, interested in their health and not only caring about, living once, you know. »
« Oftentimes as a dietitian what I see is people leave that as the last thing, so when they get a chronic disease like diabetes or hypertension, the first thing they do is go to the doctor, get medication but they don’t change their lifestyle. You need to understand it’s a holistic approach. »
Sergeant Johnson shared that the TTPS has implemented initiatives aimed at promoting improved fitness among its officers.
Meanwhile, certified personal trainer Rasheed Hassanali is urging members of the public to take that first step on their physical fitness journey today.
« Um, you would see there are initiatives in the TTPS where gyms were placed in strategic locations to try to get officers in-tuned and get them physically active, so that their healthcare and the morale of the officers could be boosted as well. »
Guardian General also partnered with TTPSSWA and Health Net to provide support for officers.
