Thank you very much.
I just came from Toronto. I was doing a presentation to the Public Health Agency of Canada. I co-chair one of their committees on the pan-Canadian healthy living strategy.
I'd like to make an opening comment around the term obesity. In Nova Scotia we really feel that the problem of obesity is very complex, and effective approaches require action at many levels. An integrated strategy targeting the common risk factors for current disease and socio-economic determinants of health will in the long term achieve improvements in health, including reducing obesity. A narrow focus on obesity does not necessarily recognize the multiple health and social environmental benefits of physical activity and healthy eating, regardless of weight management.
Obesity strategies, compared to approaches looking at healthy weight, do not address the health impacts of inactivity or being underweight. This is in line with the pan-Canadian healthy living strategy, which focuses on physical activity, healthy eating, and healthy weights. We prefer to use the terminology of healthy weights rather than obesity.
I did pass a handout to you. I'm going to speak to quite a few of the things here.
In Nova Scotia we have the Department of Health Promotion and Protection. It includes all the risk factors of healthy eating, injury prevention, addictions, chronic disease prevention, and physical activity, sport, and recreation. We work together with public health and the medical officers of health. So we are all in one department. We really feel that this integrated approach gives us a good view of where to go.
We're involved with childhood obesity prevention initiatives, but through healthy public policy and supportive environments related to healthy eating, physical activity, and sports and recreation in schools and other settings. I will speak to schools because you're looking at schools particularly.
On the next slide there is a whole plethora of things in which we're involved. We're doing a comprehensive program.