| TPH eBulletin Summer 2010 |
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| Feature |
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Get Active Toronto Report on Physical Activity reveals low rates
This spring Dr. David McKeown addressed the Get Active Toronto (GAT) Summit on the release of the 2010 Get Active Toronto Report on Physical Activity. The report was created as a valuable resource to contribute to building a healthier Toronto.
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“As you may already be aware, the news is not good. Physical activity levels in Toronto have not risen in recent years -- rather, they have continued to decline,” said Dr. McKeown. “Only four in ten Torontonians are active enough for good health.”
Get Active Toronto brings together key community and corporate leaders to encourage Torontonians to get active by: convening a varied group of organizations across the city; measuring and tracking the trend of inactivity in Toronto and GAT’s impact, and; leading coordinated action and communications to address the issue. By collaborating with organizations from the private, public, and voluntary sector, GAT helps reduce barriers to physical activity in our city.
On release of the report, Dr. McKeown said, “We have learned -- that we are not active enough; that we need more information/research on who is inactive and why; and that our young people need support to be more active, especially teenage girls.”
The GAT Summit is an annual event designed to encourage a greater level of interconnectivity between those organizations currently making a difference in the level of physical activity across Toronto as well as amongst organizations poised to support the sector via partnerships, funding, and donations in kind and sponsorship of particular programs. To find out more go to www.getactivetoronto.com.
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| TPH in the News |
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TPH reaches out to homeless, pregnant women
The HARP (Homeless At-Risk Prenatal) team was featured recently in the Toronto Star in a full page article that highlighted the work of the team and the various experiences of the women they work with.
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Five public health nurses and two dieticians make up this unique city-wide team. They are dedicated to providing high-intensity prenatal support to homeless pregnant women in the city. A Toronto Star reporter and photographer followed three of the nurses over several days. For the article read more.
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Give everyone an equal chance at good health
The Medical Officer of Health was recently asked by the Toronto Star for a short piece on his idea for improving life in Toronto. This is how David McKeown thinks we could improve the life of all residents in this city.
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What one thing would you suggest to improve life in Toronto?
Give everyone an equal chance at good health.
In Toronto we celebrate our differences - the City motto is “diversity our strength”- but there’s nothing to celebrate in the dramatic differences in our health.
I recently had a small taste of the health challenges facing people living in poverty. One week eating only the nourishment provided by a food bank hamper left me feeling weak, isolated and five pounds lighter.
This experience reinforced for me how important it is to create a Toronto where everyone has an equal chance for good health.
Living in poverty touches every aspect of health and well-being. People who receive social assistance or who work for minimum wage have more illness and live shorter lives. Poor health often leads to poor school achievement, fewer opportunities, and less chance of breaking out of the cycle of poverty and ill health.
In Toronto, if you are a newcomer to Canada, a single parent, or a person of colour, you have a much greater risk of ill health effects from living in poverty. One third of the city’s children under the age of six are living in poor households. These indicators do not point to a promising future.
We need to get serious about dealing with health inequities. This will take political will and sustained effort. Remedies include income security programs that take account of the true costs of nutritious food, safe housing and other essentials for health. The needs of population groups that are particularly disadvantaged must be recognized and acted on.
As a society we devote considerable resources to confront major health threats like cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS. To these priorities we must add closing the health gap between Torontonians – and in the process, we will create a healthier city for all.
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| New Resources from TPH |
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At Home Alone Resources now available on-line
Families can now access the At Home Alone workbook and DVD on the Toronto Public Health website. At Home Alone is a two hour interactive workshop for parents and their 10-14 year olds, to help prepare them to stay home alone safely.
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Workshops are facilitated by a Public Health Nurse in Toronto schools or community settings. This workshop helps open up lines of communication and assists families in working together to develop a ‘home alone’ safety plan. Topics in this family workshop include assessing if you are ready, learning about safety, organizing your home, negotiating an agreement and evaluating how things are going. Families who attend the workshop are given a family workbook and a DVD that summarizes the program. Approximately 400 families a year attend this program. For resources, visit At Home Alone. |
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Making Healthy Fish Choices is now available in 22 languages
The Guide to Buying Fish for Women, Children and Families is currently translated into 22 languages with more translations planned.
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This unique guide combines the most up-to-date information available on fish including:
- fish that are good for your heart
- mercury levels of various fish species
- which fish contain PCBs
- information about fish that may be caught or farmed in a way that is harmful to the environment.
It encourages pregnant and breastfeeding women or women who could become pregnant and children to choose fish low in mercury. There is also a handy wallet-size fold out guide to take with you to the supermarket.
More than 80 species of fish are listed in the guide, and it includes many fish that are popular with different ethno-racial groups. This resource helps consumers make healthy and sustainable fish choices. Find out more at Fish and Mercury.
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DVD teaches children the importance of clean hands
Lather, Rinse, Defeat Germs, a new DVD that helps children understand the importance of clean hands, is now available at all Toronto Public Libraries. Distributed last year to schools in Toronto, this five-minute video is aimed at students in Grade 4 to Grade 6 but also has a wide appeal with a younger audience.
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The DVD demonstrates how easily germs can spread from person to person. It shows young people at a variety of home and school settings and reinforces how, when and why hands should be cleaned. View the video on our website or borrow it from your local public library. And remember – germs don’t take a summer vacation! |
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New nutrition resource supports South Asian community
TPH's Peer Nutrition Program facilitates educational workshops in ethno-cultural communities. The program has developed a new Nutrition Tool Kit for the South Asian community, one of many culturally specific resources to be developed for the workshops.
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The resource includes lesson plans on healthy eating for infants, toddlers, and preschool children, as well as tips on food budgeting, shopping and safety and family meal planning and preparation. The Peer Nutrition Program works with community leaders and health professionals to improve the nutritional status of families and children from 6 months to 6 years. The program provides nutrition education to improve food selection, purchasing and preparation skills among parents and caregivers. It also provides nutrition information for healthy growth and development of children. For more information about the South Asian Nutrition Program Tool Kit, contact Anjali Gopinath, 416-338-1599. |
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| Awards |
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Do you know a Public Health Champion?
Nominations for the 2010 Public Health Champion Awards are now open. The award was established in 2008 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of public health in Toronto.
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The award recognizes individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting and promoting the health of Toronto residents. Nominations will be adjudicated by a committee of the Board of Health based on demonstrated achievement in one or more of four areas:
- Providing leadership in efforts to reduce health inequalities
- Fostering collaboration to improve the health of the population
- Building community capacity through innovative health promotion strategies
- Achieving impact by acting as a catalyst for change
Nomination forms and eligibility guidelines are available at Toronto Public Health.
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| Events |
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Giant Colon Tour raises colorectal cancer awareness
More than 13,000 people walked through the 40 foot long giant colon on display at sites across Toronto in recognition of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March.
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TPH partnered with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Cancer Care Ontario, and the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada to promote the importance of colorectal health and early detection of cancer through the Giant Colon Tour's grand finale in Toronto. The walk-through colon was on display at two malls, and at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
The best defence against colorectal cancer - the second leading cause of cancer death in Ontario- is getting screened. The province's ColonCancerCheck program recommends that all men and women undergo colorectal cancer screening at age 50, or earlier if they have risk factors for the disease. Talk to your doctor or nurse practitioner to find out what colorectal cancer test is best for you. Learn more.
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TPH attends major physicians' conference in GTA
Toronto Public Health recently exhibited at the Primary Care Today Conference at the International Centre in Mississauga. More than 2000 physicians and nurse practitioners who attended the conference had the opportunity to visit our exhibit booth to pick up resources and talk to our staff.
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The physicians and nurse practitioners asked questions on many topics such as rabies, infant development and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Annually, TPH organizes booths at the two major family physician conferences in the GTA as part of the larger strategy to do outreach with physicians.
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Ryerson students learn about public health inspection role
Toronto Public Health and the Canadian Institute for Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI) celebrated Environmental Public Health Week at Ryerson University. Students were given the opportunity to hear about TPH Inspectors on-the-job work experiences.
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Presentations included: a Legionnaires disease outbreak, the closure of a tattoo studio and a fire at a slaughterhouse. Displays were also set up to engage enthusiastic Ryerson students and staff. The event was very well received by the 90+ students of the School of Occupational and Public Health.
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| Reports/Research |
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Research addresses breastfeeding policies, practices and supports
TPH recently presented a report to the Board of Health entitled "Breastfeeding in Toronto: Promoting Supportive Environments." The report is based on surveys of Toronto birthing hospitals' and TPH's breastfeeding policies and practices and a survey of first-time mothers at two weeks and six months postpartum.
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Almost all mothers initiated breastfeeding in hospital and almost three-quarters of these mothers were breastfeeding by six months postpartum. However, only 62.6% of the mothers were exclusively breastfeeding (feeding breastmilk only) at hospital discharge, with variation by hospital of delivery. Despite global public health recommendations regarding exclusive breastfeeding to six months, only 17.5% of mothers exclusively breastfed their babies to six months postpartum. The report noted areas for improvement, including working with key stakeholders to promote exclusive breastfeeding to six months and promotion of breastfeeding friendly public places.
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