Improving Health, Shifting the Focus, Op-ed

Following is an op-ed piece by Dr. Robert Strang, Chief Public Health Officer for Nova Scotia, and Farida Gabbani, Senior Director, Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation, Department of Health Promotion and Protection.

The recent release of reports from Statistics Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation confirm what has been known for years about the health of Canadians -- we are becoming heavier and less fit.

As concerning as this is, what we need to focus on are the twin epidemics of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating. Being physically active on a regular basis and having a healthy diet are essential to good physical and mental health. They are also key to preventing and managing a wide range of chronic diseases and cancers.

By focusing on weight and obesity, we overlook the need for daily physical activity for everyone and assume that healthy eating is simply a balance of calories taken in and calories used. This leads us into a medical and individual-focused approach for prevention and treatment rather than societal and community-level approaches. Most importantly, it contributes to our society's obsession with weight.

The Canadian Health Measures Index uses standardized measures of fitness to determine an individual's fitness level. We believe that daily physical activity is more important than one's ability to successfully complete a standardized task. Physical education in schools is a good example. It has thankfully moved far beyond standardized testing and now centers on preparing students for a lifetime of physical activity.

Our ability to make healthy choices is determined by the social, physical, cultural and economic environments in which we live. The linked problems of inactivity and unhealthy eating are complex and have developed over many decades. They are directly linked to how our food is produced, marketed and sold and to accessibility of physical activity within our communities.

Solving these problems will require going beyond the personal-choice approach. Families, communities, community-based organizations, all levels of government and the private sector need to be involved. We need to make healthy foods accessible and affordable and pay close attention to the production and marketing of unhealthy foods.

Our communities and transportation systems need to be restructured so that it is easier and safer to play, walk or bike, and enjoy indoor and outdoor recreation.

We need to educate and empower our children to be champions for change. That means making physical literacy and activity as important in our schools as academic achievement. It also means that participation is a primary goal of our sport programs. We also need to find ways for all of us to spend less time in front of a screen.

All over Nova Scotia, professionals and volunteers alike are working to improve things for the future. The Department of Health Promotion and Protection is leading a provincial healthy eating strategy and is developing a physical activity framework to better support and link the many existing physical activity initiatives across the province. Much more needs to happen and it will take the efforts and cooperation of more than just government.

We need to build on the natural connections between issues such as environmental sustainability and active transportation; local food production and rural economic development. For example, more people walking means fewer cars on the road and less pollution. More people eating locally-grown food helps to support rural farms and creates jobs for Nova Scotians.

Addressing the twin epidemics of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating is critical to the health of Nova Scotians, the sustainability of our health care system and ultimately, the economic and social prosperity of our province. Let's use these reports as our collective call to action.