March 2011 - In Addition…

March is Nutrition Month

 

TOPHC Early Bird extended to March 14

OPHA, the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP), and the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa), will be hosting the inaugural Ontario Public Health Convention (TOPHC) in Toronto from April 5-8, 2011.

Registration is now open. Early bird registration is available until Monday, March 14, 2011 and includes the following:

  • Access to all sessions;
  • Breakfast on Thursday, April 7th, and Friday, April 8th;
  • Lunch and coffee/nutrition breaks scheduled between April 6–8th;
  • Evening reception on Wednesday, April 6th and Thursday, April 7th.

For the latest information, please visit the TOPHC website.

 

Community Food Advisor Program highlighted in two reports from the Healthy Living Issue Group of the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network

Two reports prepared through a collaborative effort between the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Group on Nutrition were released January 11, 2011:

Please feel free to disseminate these reports broadly. They can be found online at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/child-enfant/index-eng.php

 

NCCMT dissemination planning tool

A Dissemination Planning Tool. Carpenter, D., Nieva, V., Albaghal, T., and Sorra, J. (2005) Rockville, MD — Interested in disseminating a public health innovation, program or research finding? This six-step tool guides the reader through the creation of a dissemination plan. With prompting questions and tables, this easy-to-use handbook helps identify relevant issues needed to develop a comprehensive dissemination workplan.

The guidelines provided in this tool can be used to support the dissemination of public health innovations (e.g., a mental health program for adults living in the community). The tool is designed to help users think about the processes they would use to disseminate findings or products so that they have “real world” impact in practice.

 

Ontario’s doctors released their key health priorities

The Ontario Medical Association issued a press release on January 27, 2011 stating their key health priorities and called on political parties to make improving health care a priority. Their top priority is asking for calorie labelling in fast food restaurants and physical activity at school to address childhood obesity.

 

CPHA conference presentation on Eat Smart!®

“Provincial evaluation of the Eat Smart!® Workplace Program” has been accepted as an oral presentation at the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) 2011 Annual Conference, June 19-22, 2011 in Montreal. This research was conducted on a CIHR grant at McGill University, and will be presented by PhD candidate Erinn Salewski. The Nutrition Resource Centre at OPHA was very involved in this research.

 

Ontario Collaborative Group on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity responds to CMOH report1

The Ontario Collaborative Group on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (OCGHEPA2) is a provincial collaboration of not-for-profit, public health and academic organizations dedicated to addressing population-based issues relating to healthy eating, physical activity, healthy weights and the determinants of health, including food access, availability and adequacy.

Our mission is to improve the health of all Ontarians by advancing healthy eating and active living initiatives through strategic partnerships, knowledge exchange and collective action. Our vision for 2015 is an Ontario that supports healthy eating and active living for all.

We strive to put forward recommendations to government that will help address the growing rate of obesity and physical-inactivity in Ontario while not losing focus on the broader social determinants of health. Most notably, we urge that a strong coordinated inter-ministerial provincial approach in the area of food and nutrition and physical activity is needed to promote a healthy province and health and wellness in Ontarians.

We are pleased to see many consistencies with our priorities and the recommendations put forth by Dr. Arlene King in her 2009 annual report “Public Health – Everyone’s Business”. The Chief Medical Officer of Health's report emphasizes the need to look at the broader determinants of health including economic and social conditions that are known to greatly influence health. The report is a call to action for a system-wide approach to public health that encompasses all three levels of government; the health, education, financial and social sectors; as well as the people of Ontario.

OCGHEPA is continuing to work together on the following priority areas:

  • Making Ontario the healthiest province
  • Developing an Ontario food and nutrition and physical activity strategy
  • Improving access for all Ontarians to healthy food and physical activity opportunities
  • Using the 2015 Pan Am games as an opportunity to promote healthy eating and active living
  • Childhood obesity
  • Food security
  • Healthy eating/physical activity in school
  • Built environment

We look forward to working collaboratively with our partners and across governments to have an impact on improving health and well-being of Ontarians.

 

 

 

 

1  Article submitted by Lynn Roblin, Chair, Ontario Collaborative Group on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (OCGHEPA).

2  The Ontario Collaborative Group on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity partners include the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Diabetes Association, Cancer Care Ontario, Dietitians of Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Parks and Recreation Ontario, Ophea, representatives of public health nutrition and physical activity professionals and chronic disease prevention management, and academics from the universities of Guelph and Waterloo. The Canadian Cancer Society acts as a secretariat for the group.