On the Road to Wellness
May 01, 2008 | Various Authors

…cont’d

Motivating an entire province to get active

ActNow BC, British Columbia’s health promotion initiative, was launched in 2005 and has since been gaining worldwide attention for its unique delivery model.

Why is government taking action? The growing evidence of increased obesity, diabetes and chronic diseases in adults and now in children has prompted the province to take action. But government alone can’t change a generation of obese, overweight and inactive people without the engagement of others.

The ActNow BC initiative has enjoyed success because of the involvement of major partners and its all-of-government approach. Every government ministry must ensure that healthy alternatives that support the ActNow BC goals are in their yearly service plans. Partners with ActNow BC include 2010 LegaciesNow and the BC Healthy Living Alliance, comprised of nine non-profit organizations including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

ActNow BC supports four pillars to encourage all British Columbians to lead healthier lives. Those pillars include increasing healthy eating and physical activity, eliminating tobacco use and ensuring healthy pregnancies. The BC Healthy Living Alliance received $25.2 million in 2006 to further the goals of ActNow BC through services and programs in communities throughout the province.

Current programs and services include the School Fruit and Veggie Nutritional program, ActionSchools B.C., Active Communities, interactive Web tools on the ActNow BC website and learning resources for teachers.

The goal for the Government of British Columbia is to have the healthiest region ever to host an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. To accomplish this will require a concerted effort from all levels of government, partners and key champions for ActNow BC. The province already boasts the highest percentage of physical activity in the country but there’s still much more work to be done. An epidemic of obesity requires a major shift in thinking from every British Columbian—and the province is well on its way to making that happen.

Hon. Gordon Hogg is Minister of State for ActNow BC.