June 9, 2006 – “No one ever told us to eat more and move less, but we’re getting bigger and bigger. This is a sign that our personal choices are largely conditioned by the environment: obesity is no longer an individual problem, but a collective one. “
It is with these words that the national director of public health, Dr Alain Poirier, called for concertation among the participants in a forum on childhood obesity, held as part of the Montreal Conference1.
The Dr Poirier highlighted overwhelming statistics, based on clinical data: nearly six in ten adults (57%) and one in five children (20%) in Quebec are overweight. In short, Quebecers are getting bigger … earlier and earlier!
A government action plan
In order to curb the progression of obesity, ten Quebec departments and agencies have drawn up a joint action plan, which should be presented to the government in the coming weeks. The Dr Poirier presented the main lines of this plan, which aims to facilitate the acquisition and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits. It also proposes to regulate weight loss products while offering better services to people suffering from overweight or obesity.
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Weight loss products: proof! |
In the fight against obesity, one should not specifically target obese people, according to Dr Pear tree. “We have to promote different social norms, acceptable body images on all levels: we don’t all have to be thin. It is not so much weight reduction as physical activity combined with a healthy diet that are beneficial, ”he argues.
Part of the solution: political will
The fight against obesity is mostly a matter of political will, according to Manitoba Premier Gary Doer. His government recently decided to tackle this problem from early childhood. “Investing in prevention for a politician is not as good for visibility as opening a bridge or roads,” the politician first joked. Still, according to him, childhood obesity is a priority.
Citing studies on the subject, he pointed out that every dollar invested in prevention translates into a return of at least seven dollars in the long term.
“It is only in twenty years that we will reap the fruits of our efforts. I will probably no longer be Prime Minister then to congratulate myself … But in life, there are causes to which we must contribute to move society forward, ”concluded Gary Doer.
The municipal authorities are also questioned. According to the mayor of Sherbrooke and president of the Union of Quebec municipalities, Jean Perrault, cities can do their part in the fight against obesity. Through urban planning, they are able to promote active transport such as walking and cycling. “They can also review contracts with food dealers so that the food offered in places of recreation, for example, is healthier,” he said, citing one of the actions of the municipality he heads. .
Mayor Perrault, who chaired the Task Force to mobilize prevention efforts2, takes this social issue seriously and hopes that others will do the same: “If nothing changes, the life expectancy of children will be less than that of their parents. It would be an unacceptable step back! “.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. The Montreal conference of the International Economic Forum of the Americas took place from June 5 to 8, 2006. The address of the event website is www.conferencedemontreal.com [consulté le 9 juin 2006].
2. Set up by the provincial government, this working committee concluded, in a report unveiled in September 2005, that Quebec was facing a real public health crisis due to the excess weight and sedentary lifestyle of its people. youth. For more details, see our new Childhood Obesity: A Public Health Crisis !.
