October 30, 2006

McGuinty Government to Host Major International Conference on Healthy Eating and Active Living

Encouraging People to Eat Healthier and Be More Physically Active

 

TORONTO, Oct. 30 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is hosting a two-day international conference on healthy eating and active living, Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson announced today.

"This conference will support local and international health and recreation professionals, community workers and others who are striving to promote healthy eating an active living," said Watson. "In the spirit of the 20th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter, which was the first international conference on health promotion, I am excited to keep building on this important work and further advancing the vital field of health promotion." Healthy Eating & Active Living Conference 2006 will take place this November 29 to 30 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It will highlight national and international research, champion best practices and support the exchange of ideas among nutrition and physical activity experts.

Participants will specifically discuss ways society can change to encourage people to eat healthier and be more physically active.

Conference sessions will focus on children and youth, building healthy communities,
healthy public policy and public education.

"Poor eating habits and physical inactivity are contributing to an epidemic of preventable diseases that are reducing the quality of life and shortening the life spans of many Ontarians," said Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health. "This conference will equip those involved in the promotion of healthy eating and active living with knowledge and insights that will help them shift the tide and create a province-wide
culture of health and well-being."

Conference speakers will include:

• The Hon. Roy J. Romanow, P.C., O.C., Q.C., Former Premier of Saskatchewan and Head of the 2001 Royal Commission on the Future of
  Health Care in Canada
• Dr. Sheela Basrur, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario
• Dr. Larry Frank, J. Armand Bombardier Chair holder in Sustainable Urban Transportation Systems in the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia
• Dr. Eileen Kennedy, Dean of the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
• André Picard, Public Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail
• Dr. Andrew Pipe, Professor at the University of Ottawa and Director of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute's Prevention and Rehabilitation Centre
• Dr. Michael Pratt, Director, WHO Collaborating Center for Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Physical Activity and Health Branch,
  Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Dr. Sylvie Stachenko, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer at the Public Health Agency of Canada
• Shiriki Kumanyika, Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
• Carrie Heitzler, MPH, VERB Evaluation Team, Researcher Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity Centers for Disease Control and
  Prevention

This initiative supports Ontario's Action Plan for Healthy Eating and Active Living, launched in June 2006 by the Ministry of Health Promotion, and ACTIVE2010, Ontario's sport and physical activity strategy. The Healthy Eating and Active Living action plan offers new programs and strategies, and builds on existing ones, to support healthy eating and active living in Ontario.

• Full list of speakers
• Find out more about Healthy Eating &
  Active Living Conference 2006

 

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For further information:

Adam Grachnik
Minister’s Office
416-326-8497

Julie Rosenberg
Ministry of Health Promotion
416-326-4833

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