Appendix D: Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy 2005 – Policy and program – opportunities for action

Appendix D: Policy and Program ~ Opportunities for Action

** Please note that the following list is preliminary and serves to illustrate possible policy/program activities that could be undertaken to help realize the Healthy Living goals and targets. The timelines are somewhat arbitrary as work will necessarily be required to cross the timelines noted. **

Strategy #1 Healthy Eating

• Improve healthy eating patterns, behaviours, and choices among Canadians; and
• Improve access to, and affordability of, healthy food choices

Sample Activities:

Short Term (6-18 months)

Parents/Families

• Engage in and promote healthy dietary intakes and active lifestyles (increased physical activity, reduced TV and other screen time, more healthy diets)

Health Professionals

• Routinely track BMI in children and youth and offer appropriate counseling and guidance to children and families
• Include nutrition training and continuing education for community health service providers

Community/NGO

• Strengthen healthy eating programs, especially for high-risk populations, including Aboriginal people and new Canadians

Provincial/municipal/health authorities

• Develop school nutrition policies/standards as part of comprehensive school health efforts

Federal

• Support P/T collaborative opportunities to assist in developing and implementing healthy eating programs and policies

Private sector

• Increase the availability of nutritional content information of unlabelled foods in food outlets

Medium Term (18 – 60 months)

Community/NGO

• Develop and implement programs with “hands on” education for key target audiences – Aboriginal, new Canadians, low income Canadians, young parents, and seniors

Provincial/municipal/health authorities

• Ensure grocery stores with affordable healthy food choices are accessible in low income areas
• Support community food security strategies (e.g. community gardens, coop kitchens)

Federal

• Investigate ways to subsidize access to healthy food choices

Private Sector

• Consider introducing new products with better nutritional value

Strategy #2 Physical Activity

• Support and facilitate affordable, appropriate and accessible physical activity facilities and opportunities
• Reduce the gap in physical activity levels that exists at different age, sex, education and income levels

Sample Activities:

Short Term (6-18 months)

Parents/Families

• Engage in and promote healthy dietary intakes and active lifestyles (increased physical activity, reduced TV and other screen time, more healthy dietary behaviour)

Health Professionals

• Provide clear and consistent messages to clients that promote and support healthy eating and physical activity

Community/NGO

• Include physical activity in existing and new community programs, especially for high-risk populations, including Aboriginal people and new Canadians

Provincial/municipal/health authorities

• Enhance physical activity opportunities through changes in ordinances, infrastructure improvement programs, urban planning regulations, and other planning practices

Federal

• Set up multiyear F/P/T bilateral agreements to assist with P/T integrated physical activity/healthy eating strategies
• Develop Physical Activity Guides for people with disabilities; Aboriginal Populations

Medium Term (18-60 months)

Health Professionals

• Include physical activity training and continuing education for community health service providers

Provincial/municipal/health authorities

• Improve neighbourhood design to facilitate and encourage healthy eating and physical activity (e.g., parks, play structures, workplaces, community gardens, etc)
• Facilitate access to facilities in rural and remote communities (e.g. community centres and church halls), as well as for those with disabilities

Federal

• Investigate ways to reduce user fees and subsidize access to physical activity opportunities

Private sector

• Assist in developing and implementing healthy eating and physical activity programs

Strategy #3 Cross-Sector Collaboration

• Enhance collaboration, understanding and planning across health and “non-health” sectors

Sample Activities:

Short Term (6-18 months)

Community/NGO

• Lead grass-roots mobilization and advocacy efforts to place healthy eating and physical activity high on the public agenda
• Share best practices/lessons learned (especially re: evaluation of projects)

Federal

• Support research, surveillance, dissemination, monitoring and evaluation
• Allocate some infrastructure investments to projects that support physical activity and healthy eating
• Review and prioritize recommendations from the recent National Roundtable Reports (i.e., on physical activity and others)

Medium Term (18-60 months)

Federal

• Undertake feasibility study on fiscal measures to encourage healthy living (i.e., tax credits/penalties; subsidies; price supports, etc)
• Explore regulation of advertising and marketing to children in support of healthy living

Long Term (5 years plus)

Health Professionals

• Update assessment tools for health care professionals (example: revise PAR-Q and PAR-MED)
• Work to include and maintain nutrition services as part of comprehensive health services in both existing and evolving community-based settings

Community/NGO

• Enhance vibrant national voluntary sector in support of healthy living

Federal

• Regulate land-use and transportation policy to promote active transportation
• Support healthy community design and infrastructure