TORONTO – Ontarians are boozing more, exercising less, eating fewer fruits and vegetables and, not surprisingly, getting heavier.
“Unfortunately we’re going in the wrong direction,” Dr. Arlene King, the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, said Thursday following the release of her annual report, Health, Not Health Care — Changing the Conversation.
While tobacco use has flat-lined, and there are indications that fewer young people are lighting up, one-fifth of the province’s population still smokes, she said.
Her report says it’s time for an all-out battle against the risk factors that lead to cancer, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses that shorten life and drive up health care costs.
“This report isn’t just about the state of public health in Ontario,” she said. “It’s a call to action.”
Much of what needs to be done — including more exercise and sensible eating — is outside the traditional boundaries of the health care system, she said.
It’s important to fund doctors and hospitals and health care clinics but making sure kids get a good start in life and creating a sound economy that produces well-paying jobs can help ensure people don’t get sick in the first place, King said.
As an example, Ontario’s anti-smoking and road safety legislation is saving lives, she said.
King recommends viewing all provincial programs and policy through a “health lens,” setting goals and targets for improved health, measuring health indicators like infant mortality rates and focusing more health care system resources on prevention.
Her report notes Ontarians with diabetes account for 32% of heart attacks, 30% of strokes and 70% of amputations in the province.
Health officials say a good diet, regular exercise and eliminating tobacco would prevent up to 90% of Type 2 diabetes cases and 80% of coronary heart disease.
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