Two Tales of Health in B.C.
By 250 News
Thursday, June 25, 2009 12:01 PM
Today's release of Statistics Canada's Canadian Community
Health Survey (CCHS) shows that B.C. is leading or above most Canadian
provinces in many healthy living categories, announced Ida Chong,
Minister of Healthy Living and Sport.
On the flip side, today was also the day the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Perry Kendall released an update on the health of Aboriginal people in BC and while some progress has been made, there is still a long way to go.
Dr. Kendall’s report indicates there has been improvement on some of the health indicators, such as life expectancy (now 73 years for males, up from 71.4) but the incidence of chronic diseases is worsening. The report says thee is a widening gap between the general B.C. population and Status Indians for HIV/AIDS disease. The report says that gap is reflective of the increased vulnerability and a lack of access to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART).
Compared to other British Columbians, the Status Indian population is also twice as likely as other residents to be hospitalized for diseases of the digestive system and external
causes such as injuries, and five times more likely to be hospitalized for mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use. The Status Indian population is
also more likely to be hospitalized for medically preventable conditions,
According to the report, economic self-determination and educational achievements are critical determinants of health “therefore, the removal of structural impediments to First
Nations community economic development and educational attainment should be a priority”.
As for the Stats Canada Community Health Survey, it indicates:
British Columbians are among the highest consumers of fruits and vegetables.
British Columbians (ages 12 and over) have the highest physical activity rates in Canada at 58 per cent, up from 54.2 per cent in 2007.
British Columbia (ages 18 and over) is the leading province in reducing overweight and obesity rates in Canada.
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Posted by: metalman on June 26 2009 9:21 AM
Why is it only sport?
When are we finally going to realize that we should be dealing only with Healthy Sport? Would healthy sport mean no more support of hockey with all those injuries and missing teeth? How about boxing?
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"B.C. is leading or above most Canadian
provinces in many healthy living categories"
and
"Compared to other British Columbians, the Status Indian population is also twice as likely as other residents to be hospitalized"
Why do we comapre non native health to the rest of Canada while native health is not compared to native health in the rest of Canada? I want to know how this province stacks up against the rest of Canada in that category as well. My suspicion is that we are not at the top of the heap in that case. But I may be wrong and without that info we simply do not know.