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Building Healthy Building Healthy CommunitiesCommunities
Healthy Communities & the Built Environment
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
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Special thanks to
Lisa TolentinoProject Coordinator
Robb MacDonald
Consultant Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
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Presented by:
Louise DawPARC Consultant
Physical Activity Resource Centre
[email protected] 519.646.2121
www.parc.ophea.net
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
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Presentation OutlinePresentation Outline
Healthy Communities Overview
Impacts of built environment on health
Connections and history between health,
land use planning & design
OHCC Healthy Communities & the Built
Environment Project
Ongoing Resources and Supports
Discussion on what is happening in your
community
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
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The Physical Activity Resource Centre (PARC)
Managed by Ontario Physical
Health and Education
Association (Ophea)
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PARC services
Responding to requests for information
Referrals
Consultations – email, phone & face to face
Training to Physical Activity Promoters
Annual Physical Activity Symposium
Adaptable Workshops
Quarterly mailings
Physical Activity Monthly Matters
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How to stay connected
Join the PARC listserv
Here’s how:
http://parc.ophea.net/listserv-sign
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Healthy Community Overview
World Health Organization (WHO) and Ottawa
Charter of Health Promotion
Health is a state of complete physical, mental
and social well-being, and not merely the
absence of disease
First Healthy Cities pilot projects started in 1986
under the WHO umbrella
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Healthy Community Origins
Over 7500 communities/cities, national and
regional networks which have adopted the
Healthy Cities/Healthy Community model
Canadian Institute of Planners, the Canadian
Public Health Association, and the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities
Ontario Professional Planners Institute, the
Ontario Public Health Association, and the Ontario
Landscape Architects were among our founding
members
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Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
Mission:
To work with the diverse communities of Ontario
to strengthen their social, environmental and
economic well being
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A New Patient
42 year old male in for check up
Complains of low energy
28 pounds overweight
Blood pressure 145/92
Blood glucose elevated
Urine normal
Cholesterol elevated
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The Doctor Learns…
He is married with two children
Drives 85 km each way to work
Works 60 hours a week (plus 9 hours of
commuting time)
Last vacation was 18 months ago, for one week,
and linked to a business trip
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The Doctor Recommends…
Meeting with a nutritionist
Name of a good psychotherapist
Weight loss program
Exercise club membership
Pedometer: 10,000 steps a day
Easing back on work and life commitments
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After 2 MonthsPatient Reports…
Insurance only covers one visit with nutritionist
& short term counselling
No place to walk
No time for exercise
Day is already too full
Marriage is on the rocks
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One Year Later Patient Is Being Medicated With…
Antihypertensive medication
Oral Hypoglycemic agent
Antidepressant
Cholesterol lowering agent
E.D. medication
Monthly medication costs of $385 are covered by insurance
Dr. Richard Jackson, Former California State Public Health Officer at the California Department of Health Services
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“When so many of our patients have the
same problems, we must realize that poor health
is not caused only by a lack of discipline,
but may be the result of the built environments
in which we live.”
(Jackson, 2003)
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The Determinants of Health
Income and Social Status
Social Support Networks
Education
Employment and Working Conditions
Social Environments
Physical Environment
Gender
Culture
Personal Health Practices and Skills
Healthy Child Development
Health Services
Biology and Genetic Endowment
Health Canada, Population and Public Health Branch AB/NWT
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Definition of Health
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental
and social well-being, and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.”
(World Health Organization - WHO)
Health is determined by the complex
interactions between individual characteristics,
social and economic factors and physical
environments.
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The Built Environment…
“…includes the land-use planning and policies
that impact our communities in urban, rural,
and suburban areas. It encompasses all
buildings, spaces, and products that are
created or modified by people. It includes our
homes, schools, workplaces, parks/recreation
areas, business
areas and roads.”
(Health Canada)
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Health Issues Today
Asthma & other respiratory illnesses
Cardiovascular disease, heart disease
Diabetes, obesity
Cancer
Arthritis, joint pain
Road collision injuries and fatalities
Depression & other mental health issues
(Health Canada, Ministry of Health Promotion, Ont. Public Health Assoc., Heart & Stroke Foundation )
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Health Impacts of Sprawl
Ontario College of Family Physicians
Urban Sprawl and Public Health Report (2005)
- Environmental Health Committee
Four booklets for distribution to public health
departments and family physicians
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Areas of Focus
1. Air Pollution
2. Road Injuries & Fatalities
3. Obesity (Healthy Weight and Physical Activity)
4. Social & Mental Health
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Healthy Weight & Physical Activity
Sprawl => reduced walking or cycling
Reduced walking or cycling => reduced
physical activity
Reduced physical activity => overweight
Overweight => heart disease, hypertension,
arthritis/joint pain, diabetes, cancer
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From: The Neptis Foundation – Travel and Housing Costs in the greater Toronto area 1986-1996
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Someone who spends
2 hours each day driving
will, in one year, spend
the equivalent of
11, 40-hour weeks
sitting in their car
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We need to encourage mixed land uses, more
compact development, alternate modes of
transportation, walkable neighbourhoods, and
access to green space,
so as to address many of the chronic diseases that
have recently emerged and/or increased in
occurrence.
(Ont. Public Health Assoc.)
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The Response
Healthy and sustainable community planning needs to become a priority to address significant public health issues and make the links between health, land-use planning, development and design
Collaboration across municipal/regional bodies and between professional disciplines (e.g., public health, planning, environment, education, etc.)
Establish concrete and meaningful relationships among various sectors within the community to develop policies and plans for the long-term
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
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Healthy Communities & the Built Environment Project
Goal: "to improve the health of Ontarians and reduce health care costs through health promotion and chronic disease prevention strategies linking health and the built environment"
This project was aimed at creating healthy communities that optimize human health and prevent chronic diseases by promoting policies and practices that promote community characteristics such as:
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
safe, compact and
walkable
easily accessible services
efficient public
transportation systems
readily available options
for active transportation
preservation of natural
surroundings and wildlife
greenspaces that are
easily accessible by foot,
bicycle, wheelchair or
buggy
social gathering areas
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Project Partners
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
Ontario Inclusion Learning Network
Ontario Public Health Association
Ontario Professional Planners Institute
Ontario Smart Growth Network
Region of Waterloo Public Health
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit
Waterloo Healthy Communities Coalition
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Project Components
Literature review of Canadian research relating to health and the built environment
Environmental scan of current strategies and approaches to improving the built environment across Ontario
Community workshops and regional forums
Indicators of successful collaborations, and case studies of promising practices
Publication and dissemination of information
All components are available here: http://www.ohcc-ccso.ca/en/building-healthy-communities-project-components
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Literature Review
Significant research emerging that addresses the connections between health and the built environment
Aim to highlight what exists and to present it in a manner that people can use in short and long term (annotat. bib. & database); among the themes that can be searched are physical activity, air pollution, collision injuries & fatalities, food choices & healthy eating, mental health
Focus on ‘evidence’ of the connections between health and the built environment/land use planning; wide range of works exploring the connections, but very complex and hard to determine cause/effect
Over & over researchers noted that there is a sufficient amount of quality evidence to call for action
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Environmental Scan
Gain an understanding of the scope and involvement of public health units, environmental groups and community agencies in addressing the impacts of the built environment on health
Gather information on strategies, programs and practices (as well as any resources, tools and research) currently being used/conducted by these groups across Ontario
Initiatives covered a range of topics such as providing information on air pollution/clean air, strategies to promote physical activity (e.g., walking & cycling), community gardening, pesticide reduction, climate change, food access and shopping locally
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Environmental Scan
Lack of knowledge/understanding about land
use issues and their impact on health
Lack of knowledge/understanding regarding the
role of public health in land use planning and
policy decision-making (by the public,
governments, planners/engineers, and even
within some public health units themselves)
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Environmental Scan
Respondents described the success of policies, programs and initiatives as being attributed to:
Community support and awareness
Public buy-in and media coverage
Strong partnerships
Commitment of membership
Other policies, programs and initiatives were less successful as a result of inadequate or a lack of:
Leadership
Skilled staff and resources
Budget
Follow-up programs
Professional planning resources and government support
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Environmental Scan
Common areas of research:
accessible parks, paths and trails
alternate transportation
water and air quality
preservation of green space / agricultural land
Barriers to conducting research:
Lack of funding
Lack of human resources
Lack of organizational capacity
Lack of partnerships/community support
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Active and Safe Routes to School – “Walking School Bus”
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Indicators & Case Studies
Most successful initiatives aimed at improving health through changes in land use planning and policy a result of multi-sector collaboration
A set of indicators developed to assess collaborative, multi-sectoral initiatives consistent with healthy community principles and processes
Indicators can be used to assess and inform projects currently underway, as well as to assist in the design of new projects
Five to ten case studies/stories to be profiled; eight stories currently pulled together
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
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Publication
A popular piece aimed at health promoters, planners and community volunteers
Overview of major impacts of the built environment on health (positive and negative)
Collection of modules relating to particular aspects of how the built environment impacts on health (e.g., walkable communities, injuries/fatalities, etc.)
Outline of various roles for each sector/profession
Summary of project components, learnings and conclusions with links to additional information
List of other tools and resources
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
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Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
Contact Info:
Hélène Lussier (Services Coordinator)
– Services Coordinator 416-408-4841 / 1-800-766-
3418 ext. 3
http://www.ohcc-ccso.ca/
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Thank you
Please contact Louise Daw for further information:
Louise Daw
PARC Consultant
519.646.2121
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition