Bonjour.
I am Barb Mildon, a registered nurse and president-elect of the Canadian Nurses Association. On behalf of Canada's quarter-million nurses, I wish to thank the members of this committee for the opportunity to speak.
As this committee is undoubtedly aware, there is compelling scientific evidence that shows regular physical activity improves health and quality of life, significantly reducing the risk of chronic disease, disability and premature death. Unfortunately, Canadians are paying dearly for rising rates of obesity and chronic illness. We are paying with our health dollars. We are paying with our health.
We all know why physical activity is important. The question we must ask is how do we get people moving?
I invite you to read the brief that CNA has put together for you on this subject. It contains a number of recommendations, but I will focus on just a few of them today, namely, that we should pay particular attention to the needs of youth and children, aboriginal Canadians and recent immigrants; place a stronger emphasis on health promotion and illness prevention; and expand our reach by increasing public health resources.
As with most public health initiatives, it pays to start with high-risk and vulnerable populations. First nations communities are being crippled by type 2 diabetes. Over one-third of Canadian children between the ages of two and eleven are overweight, and of them, about half are considered to be obese. Three out of five children and youth between five and seventeen years are not active enough for optimal growth and development. Overweight children are more likely to remain overweight or become obese in adulthood, and they are at greater risk for chronic disease and mental health problems.
For the first time in history, the current generation of young people is not expected to live longer than their parents. Despite life-extending breakthroughs in science and medicine, we are losing precious ground.
CNA therefore urges the federal government to increase funding for health promotion initiatives targeted at children and youth, aboriginal peoples, immigrants and refugees, and other vulnerable populations.
Day in and day out, public and community health nurses, educators and researchers are working with Canadians to promote healthy lifestyles, to prevent and manage chronic illnesses, to help people take charge of their health by staying active. We engage in preventive medicine that diverts health care costs away from far costlier acute care interventions down the road.
Inactive Canadians are at greater risk for heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, and depression. Among Canadians age 45 and older, 70% report one or more chronic conditions directly related to physical inactivity.
Chronic diseases represent a huge cost to Canadian society, in terms of treatment--67% of all direct health care costs--and in terms of lost productivity. It makes good economic sense to invest in public health. You get a triple dividend: better health outcomes, lower health costs, and a more productive economy.
CNA therefore urges all levels of government to redirect health system funding toward preventive health care services and programs, particularly those addressing physical activity and nutrition education and counseling.
Given the huge scope of the issue, however, the public health sector needs more financial resources and more people to get the job done. Stable, long-term funding is needed to ensure proper integration of services and foster greater interprofessional collaboration. Successful programs need to be scaled up and extended deeper into the communities that need them.
CNA therefore urges federal, provincial, and territorial governments to make additional investments in the public health nursing workforce, and in the public health workforce generally, so that health professionals have the capacity to support increased health promotion, including the promotion of physical fitness and healthy living.
Registered nurses across Canada will of course continue to play an active role in promoting active lifestyles, but we want to step up the intensity. We can do this by drawing on the expertise of specialty nursing members, like the community health nurses, nurses in rural and remote communities, and aboriginal nurses who are working daily with individuals and communities to promote healthy lifestyles.
Through greater investment in public health, a stronger focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and special measures for children and other vulnerable communities, Canada could be taking a huge step in the right direction, a step towards an active and healthy future.
Thank you for your attention.
Merci.