Thank you very much, Madam Chair and members of the committee.
Members of the committee, thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you today on the subject of eating disorders. My remarks today will focus on the activities of the Public Health Agency of Canada related to this issue.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is committed to improving the health and well-being of Canadians. We do so by administering programs and developing policies that serve to promote the physical and mental health of Canadians and prevent illness. The agency works to reduce risk factors that may contribute to poor health, such as abuse, violence, or neglect, while building such protective factors as resilience, esteem, coping skills, and healthier relationships.
Eating disorders involve serious disturbances in eating behaviour. Some disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating are mental illnesses that may be associated with stigmatization, isolation and low self-esteem.
Risk factors associated with eating disorders include a combination of biological, psychosocial and social factors as well as developmental factors particularly associated with pressures to be thin, inadequate coping mechanisms, neglect and overprotection.
The release of the 2006 Senate report “Out of the Shadows at Last” brought the issue of mental illness into the mainstream and contributed to the creation of the Mental Health Commission of Canada in 2007. The release of the Mental Health Commission's mental health strategy for Canada identified six strategic directions to improve the continuum of mental health for Canadians. The first strategic direction is to promote the mental well-being of Canadians across the lifespan in homes, schools, and workplaces and prevent mental illness and suicide wherever possible.
Promoting mental health and well-being is about enhancing the capacity of communities and individuals to take control over their lives and improve their mental health. It's about increasing their power and resilience to respond to future adversities. For this reason, our programs focus on populations at highest risk, such as vulnerable children and their families.
From a public health perspective, the prevention of eating disorders begins with a solid foundation in terms of mental well-being. I am talking specifically about establishing healthy relationships, fostering sound parenting skills, learning good strategies to overcome adversity, and building positive self-esteem and self-confidence.
We know that initiatives that focus on people's early years and target their environment as a whole are more likely to protect them from poor mental health and mental illness later in life.
To help build this foundation, the Public Health Agency of Canada is supporting programs and activities to maintain and enhance mental well-being. We deliver programs focused on creating a better start in life for vulnerable at-risk children and their families. These programs provide parenting skills and the tools to develop healthy relationships in order to address challenges they may encounter. The agency also plays a key role in surveillance to better understand the factors that influence the physical and mental health of Canadians. These include child abuse and neglect, childhood injuries, self-harm, and mental illness, including eating disorders.
In 2006 we reported that 0.5% of Canadians aged 15 years and over had been diagnosed with an eating disorder in the previous 12 months and that 1.5% of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported symptoms that met the criteria for an eating attitude problem. This information is critical to better understand the rates and prevalence of illness and to better inform the development of policies and programs.
The agency also supports projects that promote healthier behaviours through positive attitudes and physical activity, and we work closely with our colleagues at Health Canada to support healthier eating.
Many factors impact our day-to-day physical and mental health—where we live, where we work, and relationships with our friends, families, and communities. These factors, alone or in combination, have a tremendous impact on how we feel and what we do.
Our goal is to prevent or lessen the impact of mental illness and poor mental health among Canadians. We want to support girls and boys in growing up with a positive sense of self, with feelings of control and self-esteem. This foundation can help protect against developing an eating disorder.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is committed to improving the overall health and well-being of all Canadians. Strengthening and maintaining our mental and physical health will help us limit the devastating effects of mental illness, including the impact of eating disorders among young girls, boys, women and men.
Thank you.