Injury, Safety and Obesity – Stats Canada releases Canadian Community Health Survey

Today Statistics Canada released its annual Canadian Community Health Survey and the results were very disappointing. Canadians are not only more obese than they were in 2008, but they are also getting injured more frequently when doing physical activity. Canadians are also risking more injury by not wearing a helmet when participating in sports such as cycling. According to the survey 46% of Canadians who cycle do not wear a helmet, even in provinces where there is helmet legislation, Ontario being the worse culprit, falling below the national average at 34% even though it is a province with helmet laws.

About 18% of Canadians aged 18 or older, or roughly 4.4 million people, were classified as obese in 2009, up from 15% in 2003. Despite government and nonprofit programs trying to alleviate this problem, it still persists and is growing worse.

Also this week the Canadian Institute of Wellbeing released two new reports on the well being of Canadians which found that time spent on leisure activities dropped from 15% in 1998 to 12% in 2005 and the proportion of Canadians experiencing high levels of time crunch grew from 16% in
1992 to 20% in 2005.

So how can these statistics improve so Canadians become more physically active and take better care of themselves, when they have less time to do it. The Honourable Roy J. Romanow, Chair of the Canadian Institute of Wellbeing Advisory Board states that "We need family-friendly policies for all workers and more community resources and supports for seniors. We need governments and public policies that support leisure and culture activities and venues - ensuring that equity and inclusion are overarching principles in our approach."

To read more about how you can maintain a balanced lifestyle and encourage employers to create more opportunities for physical activity and leisure see the articles below:

Bodies at Work: Everyone wins when employers provide health and fitness opportunities in the workplace.

The Work-Leisure Paradigm: The Stresses and Strains of Maintaining a Balanced Lifestyle. Lobo, Francis, World Leisure Journal 2006, Vol. 48 Issue 3, p22

Participation in recreational physical activity: why do socioeconomic groups differ? Burton, N.W.; Turrell, G.; Oldenburg, B., Health Education & Behavior Apr 2003: Vol. 30 Issue 2. p. 225-244

Over-scheduling your child and your family. Taylor, J., Ski Racing 6 Dec 2002: Vol. 35 Issue 6. p. 26

A New Name for Senior Games

The Ontario Senior Games Program has a new name effective immediately. Going forward, they will be referred to as the Ontario 55+ Summer Games and the Ontario 55+ Winter Games, keeping it consistent with the Canada 55+ Games (national Senior Games) and six other provinces and territories. The Ontario 55+ Games and other provincial events, are the qualifiers for the Canada 55+ Games held every two years in cities across the country. With the provincial programs staged annually in different provinces and territories, the Canada 55+ Games is a nation-wide program which serves to promote wellbeing – physical, mental and spiritual -- among Canadians age 55 and older.

In Ontario, these organized celebrations of active living, began in 1986. So far, the Ontario 55+ Games Program has been hosted by 14+ communities throughout the province. The summer edition, held in August of even-numbered years, hosts over 1,200 participants in approximately 18 events, while the Ontario 55+Winter Games held in February of odd-numbered years, has close to 900 entrants.

The Ontario 55+ Games is a program of the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport and is delivered by the Sport Alliance of Ontario in cooperation with the Ontario Senior Games Association. Brampton, Ontario will host the 2012 Ontario 55+ Summer Games, while the town of Huntsville has been chosen to organize the 2013 Ontario 55+ Winter Games.

For more information on Senior Games, please visit SIRC.

Workplace Health Promotion

Workplaces everywhere are feeling the impact of current health levels of the Canadian workforce with: high stress, poor job satisfaction, growing absenteeism, high turnover, and mistakes caused by physical and mental fatigue.  A healthy workplace creates happier, productive employees, which in the end increases your bottom line. It simply makes good business sense to invest in your work environment by promoting a healthy active lifestyle.

According to the Conference Board of Canada, the Canadian economy lost an estimated $16.6 billion last year due to absenteeism in the workplace. 

Why should we promote health in the workplace?

1. Reduced health care costs, absenteeism, staff turnover, worker compensation claims, and on the job injuries.
2. Increased quality and quantity of production.
3. Improved job satisfaction, employee morale, and corporate image.
4. Fewer workplace conflicts.

Tips for creating a healthy workplace: 

• Design a comprehensive program (some of these suggestions will depend on the size of your workplace) - planning may include: forming a wellness committee and a budget, getting management support, discovering the make up of your workforce (interests, shifts and location of employees), determining your target audience, and discussing your overall goals and objectives.
• Emphasize healthy weight loss through balanced nutrition, moderate exercise and behavioural changes. Create awareness of your program through emails, flyers and bulletin boards.
• Create an informal environment where participants can feel comfortable sharing frustrations, successes and failures. A supportive peer environment is essential in the success of any workplace health promotion program. Try to foster an idea of team spirit among your staff.
• Organize creative workplace activities, for example try out the 10,000 steps initiative, bike to work day or week, a fitness challenge, or a holiday cooking contest that features a healthy version of a holiday recipe.

Even if you aren't in the position to implement a program, there are many small steps you can take to encourage health and wellness. Implementing one component at a time can act like a trial run, it gives you the opportunity to see how employees respond and lets you gauge whether or not a more in depth program may be useful in the future. Whichever you choose - even a small step in the direction of health promotion - can have a positive impact on your workplace environment.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Archer S. Health Is Wealth: THE RISE OF WORKPLACE WELLNESS. IDEA Fitness Journal. May 2012;9(5):37-44.
2. DeJoy D, Wilson M. Organizational health promotion: broadening the horizon of workplace health promotion. American Journal Of Health Promotion. May 2003;17(5):337-341.
3. Linnan L, Fisher E, Flood S. THE POWER AND POTENTIAL OF PEER SUPPORT IN WORKPLACE INTERVENTIONS. American Journal Of Health Promotion. September 2013;28(1):TAHP-2-TAHP-10.
4. Machen R, Cuddihy T, Reaburn P, Higgins H. Development of a Workplace Wellness Promotion Pilot Framework: A Case Study of the Blue Care Staff Wellness Program. Asia-Pacific Journal Of Health, Sport & Physical Education. August 2010;1(2):13-20. 
5. Mills P, Kessler R, Cooper J, Sullivan S. Impact of a Health Promotion Program on Employee Health Risks and Work Productivity. American Journal Of Health Promotion. September 2007;22(1):45-53.
6. St. George A, King L, Newson R, Wells V, Campbell M. Implementing workplace health promotion initiatives: who should we target?. Health Promotion Journal Of Australia. August 2012;23(2):134-140.