News Release
2003-19
April 10, 2003
For immediate release
Minister McLellan announces Media Pulse project
OTTAWA - The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Health, announced
today that Health Canada is contributing $200,000 to Media Pulse, a project designed
to raise awareness among health professionals about how media can influence the health
and well-being of children and adolescents. The Media Awareness Network (MNet), a non-profit
organization and Canada's leading media education source, has teamed up with the Canadian
Paediatric Society (CPS) to develop Media Pulse, with funding from Health Canada's
Population Health Fund.
"Every day young people are exposed to messages from a variety of media and these messages
and images can affect the emotional and social development of children and adolescents
by influencing lifestyle choices, personal health practices and attitudes," said Minister
McLellan. "Funding Media Pulse demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment
to the health and well-being of our children and young people."
Media Pulse will encourage health professionals to incorporate awareness of media
influences into their practices. Materials designed specifically for the health sector
will include a media awareness guide and assessment tool for health practitioners to assess
the impact of media on the lives of their young patients, as well as practical tips that
physicians can offer parents.
"Media Pulse is a great opportunity to raise awareness among health practitioners
of the important role and potential influence of media in the lives of their young patients," said
Jan D'Arcy, MNet's Executive Director. "We look forward to providing health professionals
with information on current research and health-related media issues, and tools to incorporate
this knowledge into the practice setting. The goal is to help health practitioners help
parents to understand that guiding their children's daily media use is an important part
of parenting."
Media Pulse will be launched in conjunction with a professional development workshop
at the Canadian Paediatric Society's 2003 Annual General Meeting to be held in Calgary,
June 18-22, 2003.
"The Canadian Paediatric Society is pleased to be partnering with the Media Awareness
Network on this exciting new project," said Ms. Marie Adèle Davis, Executive Director of
the Canadian Paediatric Society. "And thanks to Health Canada's support, paediatricians
and other child health professionals will be receiving new and innovative Canadian resources
on media education, that can then be used in their practices."
MNet has established a Steering Committee comprised of child psychiatrists, a paediatrician
and a family physician who, along with the CPS Psychosocial Paediatrics Committee, is advising
on the development of Media Pulse.
Health Canada has adopted a population health approach to further its mandate to maintain
and improve the health of Canadians. This approach recognizes that factors, in addition
to the health care system, have a strong influence on health. The approach promotes prevention,
and encourages positive action on determinants that affect the health of the population
as a whole, or that of specific population groups. The goal of the Population Health Fund,
which has an annual budget of $14 million, is to increase community capacity for action
on the determinants of health.
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For more information please contact:
Bill Allen
Media Awareness Network
(613) 224-7120
(613) 291-0853 (cell)
ballen@media-awareness.ca
Melissa Jewett
Canadian Paediatric Society
(613) 526-9397 ext. 234
(613) 850-4868 (cell)
media@cps.ca
Media Inquiries:
Alex Swann
Office of Anne McLellan
Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Emmanuel Chabot
Health Canada
(613) 957-1803
Public Inquiries (Health Canada):
(613) 957-2991
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