Presentation to Folkehelsealliansen Nordlund The Role of BC Healthy - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Presentation to Folkehelsealliansen Nordlund The Role of BC Healthy Living Alliance Mary Collins, Director BC Healthy Living Alliance May 4 2011

BC Healthy Living Alliance

Mission is: To improve the health of all British Columbians through leadership and collaboration to address the risk factors and health inequities that contribute significantly to chronic disease Goal: Reduce the burden of chronic disease

• Advocacy, Collaboration & Capacity‐building

BC Healthy Living Alliance

• Alliance of nine organizations representing chronic

disease groups, professional associations and municipal leaders

• Health authorities and provincial health Ministry of

healthy living represented as well

BC Healthy Living Alliance

• The largest health promotion team in the history of

BC

• Health promotion through public awareness, policy

& advocacy, service delivery & community development

• 9 voting members
• 40,000 volunteers, 4,300 health & recreation

professionals & 184 local governments across BC

History

• The organizations involved in BCHLA came together in 2003 to

work to improve the health of British Columbians

• Supported by the ADM of Population Health with the Ministry
• f Health
• Initial investment of $50,000 from government
• Members invested in advocacy – “Winning Legacy” ‐ evidence

based report to support a large investment in health promotion

The Winning Legacy A Plan for Improving the Health of British Columbians by 2010

• Estimated annual costs of $3.8B could be avoided
• Calculated initial $1.1B investment required
• Recommended 27 strategic interventions based on

risk factor targets

• BC Government has acted on many

recommendations (i.e.: tobacco regulations, school/ public building food guidelines, physical activity in schools, ActNow BC, etc.)

Healthy Living: Targets for 2010

7/10 will be at a healthy weight 7/10 will be a healthy weight + 349,000 British Columbians 5/10 are a healthy weight 7/10 will get enough activity for health benefits 7/10 will be physically active + 351,000 British Columbians 6/10 are physically active 5/10 will eat at least 5 servings of vegetables & fruits a day 7/10 will eat over 5 servings of vegetables & fruit a day + 948,000 British Columbians 4/10 eat at least 5 servings of vegetables & fruit a day 8.5/10 will not smoke 9/10 will not smoke ‐ 225,000 British Columbians 8/10 do not smoke

ActNow BC TARGETS BCHLA TARGETS CURRENT STATE [Source: BCHLA]

Healthy Living Initiatives

Initiatives: 1) Smoke‐Free Workplaces 2) Post Secondary Institution Initiative 3) Quitters Unite! 4) Community Detailing 5) Smoke‐Free Housing (in Multi Unit Dwellings) Initiatives: 1) Walk BC 2) Everybody Active 3) Community‐based Awareness 4) Built Environment & Active Transportation Initiatives: 1) Healthy Food & Beverage Sales – Local Government and Recreation Facilities 2) Support for School Guidelines 3) Farm to School Salad Bar 4) Food Skills for Families 5) Sip Smart! BC

Community Capacity Building Strategy 70 community‐based projects led in partnership with local organizations & champions Tobacco Reduction Strategy Physical Activity Strategy Healthy Eating Strategy

Healthy Eating: A Focus on Families

Target population: Adults (35‐54) and their children Rationale:

• Research: poor consumption of veggies & fruit in adults and children
• Trend towards increasing obesity in children
• Food insecurity is related to poor access &  consumption of veggies & fruit and 

consumption of unhealthy choices

• Family/home environment offers:
• Potential to increase exposure/availability of nutritious foods,
• reduce availability of unhealthy choices to children,
• model healthy eating behaviours, and share cooking skills

Healthy Eating Initiatives

1. Healthy Food and Beverage Sales (where families work, play and learn) 2. Farm to School Salad Bar 3. Food Skills for Families 4. SipSmart BC!

Physical Activity Strategy

Budget: $6.0 M Target: Inactive adults aged 35 to 54 years Rationale:

• High rates of physically inactive (44.1%)
• 43% of the BC population
• Accessed in health promotion settings: community, workplace, and health services
• Potential to reach and influence other populations including:

– Children and youth – Older adults and parents Targeting this group will also have an impact on “healthy aging,” which has positive ramifications as this group moves into an older demographic

Tobacco Reduction Strategy

Budget: $4.54 M Target Population: Young Adults (19‐29) Rationale:

• Highest prevalence rate in BC
• More likely than older adults to be social smokers
• 45% of daily smokers began between the ages of 18 and 29 years
• More likely to be exposed to

second‐hand smoke

• Cigarette companies have

invested heavily to capture young adult smoker

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22-23 24-25 26-27 28-29 30-31 32-33 34-35 36-37 38-39 40-41 42-43 44-45 46-47 48-49 50-51 52-53 54-55 56-57 58-59 60-61 62-63 64-65 66-67 68-69 70-103 2yr age categories

Percent

Smoking Prevalence

Capacity Building Focus

4 Key Functions:

• 1. Strengthen Regional

Networks

• 2. Align BCHLA Initiatives

with existing groups

• 3. Build Capacity in At‐

Risk/Priority Communities

• 4. Expand Opportunities for

BCHLA Initiatives

Healthy Living Initiatives ‐ Reach

• Impacted 229 BC

communities, many rural, remote and Aboriginal

• 36,700 British Columbians

actively participated

• Additional 1,237,800 were

exposed to the messaging

BCHLA – Policy and Advocacy

• BCHLA – commissioned a study on social and

economic determinants

• Undertook survey of attitudes including interviews

and conversations with representatives from vulnerable groups

• Held regional discussions with multisector groups to

add to input

Healthy Futures for BC Families

BCHLA Policy Discussion Forums – Four held around province in partnership with health authorities To build cross‐sectoral consensus on policies to address those social issues that can impede or enhance the health of a society

POLICY: Healthy Futures for BC Families

• Social Determinants of

Health

– Income & food security, early childhood development & care, housing, education & literacy, health equity, supportive environments, transportation

POLICY: Healthy Futures for BC Families

Early Childhood Development & Care

• Extend parental leave ~18 months
• Universal Childcare – more quality spaces
• Pre‐& After‐school programs
• Cont’d support for Aboriginal Head Start
• Increase training & wages for ECE workers

POLICY: Healthy Futures for BC Families

• Security in Income, Food &

Home

– Poverty reduction plan – Income Assistance [healthy diet, real rental costs & indexed to inflation] – Increase child tax benefit & supplement [$5100] – Full spectrum of housing for those in need

”As family income falls, the likelihood that children will experience problems

• increases. Rates of poor

health, hyperactivity and delayed vocabulary development have been shown…in low‐income families.”

New policy work: Tackling Childhood Obesity

• Ban Marketing to Children
• Health Promoting Schools
• Improve Access to Healthy Foods in Rural & Remote

Communities

• Targets and timelines for industry to drastically reduce

sodium, fat and sugar content in packaged foods.

• Taxation of sugar sweetened beverages
• Healthy Built Environments – planning with healthy living

lens, active transport & revitalized recreation facilities

Advocacy – Recent Activities

• Presentations to Government Committees
• Published new Papers: Healthy Living in BC – The

Next Generation; Recommendations for Tackling Overweight and Obesity in BC

• Development of paper with a “Healthy Families” lens

to align with new Premier’s priorities

• Continuing work on development of policies on

alcohol

What We Know

• Policy environments and physical environments

support healthy lifestyles

• Healthy living starts with communities
• Health Equity – Focus on interventions that lessen

disparities

• Whole of government, whole of society approach

Partnerships & Coalitions

• Why build partnerships and coalitions?
• Requirements for effective partnerships and

coalitions

• Personal Leadership for coalition building
• Some real life experiences!
• BCHLA – examples and lessons learned

Why Build Partnerships & Coalitions?

• Can’t do it all alone – especially where major shifts in public
• pinion or behaviour required
• Decision makers more responsive to the power behind

coalitions

• Can be more effective in delivering programs, advocating

policy, integrating knowledge

• Greater flexibility and allows organizations to maintain

identity but still be part of a larger group

Challenges

• Difficult to get partners who have different priorities to work

together on common goal

• Need to set aside personal/organizational interests for good
• f coalition
• Advocacy may be watered down to get support from all
• Other priorities emerge and interest in the coalition may

wane

• Leadership changes may impact on coalition

Core Values

• Collaborative: BCHLA will be collaborative in all its work, as this forms the

basis for leveraging the strengths of the members, extending abilities, and engaging diverse audiences and vulnerable populations.

• Visionary and forward‐thinking: BCHLA will have foresight in its planning,

will work towards the visions of a healthy British Columbia, and will be receptive to promising and creative approaches in health promotion.

• Accountable: BCHLA is reliable, dependable and accountable in its actions

Goals

• 1. Alliance Building

– Build and sustain the commitment and participation of the members of the Alliance.

• 2. Chronic Disease Prevention and Healthy Living

– Work to reduce the prevalence of risk factors for chronic disease. – Work to reduce the health inequities that contribute to chronic disease.

Progress to date

• $ 25 million Winning Legacy initiatives – completed but many
• f the initiatives are continuing
• 202 organizations participated in forums from many sectors

to provide input to “ Healthy Futures for BC Families” policy recommendations for improving the health of British Columbians – September 2009

• Participate in many alliances to promote policy agenda –

poverty reduction, obesity strategy, healthy built environment, healthy child development – etc.

• Continuing to update policy agenda based upon new evidence

and new opportunities for action

BCHLA – Elements for Success

• Integrated approach across

chronic disease spectrum

• Collaborative approach, building
• n one another’s strengths
• Working with non‐traditional

partners

BC Healthy Living Alliance

• An alliance in and of itself –
• But also part of web of involvement with other

alliances, coalitions, networks.

• Need to maintain identity but contribute to others’

agendas

• Need to understand the limits as well as flexibility to

help reach solutions

• Patience, time and commitment

More elements of success

• Clear terms of reference and processes
• Evidence & consensus
• Evaluation
• Political will ‐ Public is supportive due to BC’s active

population

• Alignment with CDPAC – Canada wide support for

chronic disease prevention

Requirements for effective partnerships/coalitions

• Need clear Terms of Reference
• Need clear processes for reaching consensus, decisions,

resolving conflicts

• Recognize equality even though some members may be more

powerful in their own right

• Clarity around role, branding of coalition
• Life cycle of coalitions – may be time limited around issues,

activities – okay to let go.

• Appropriate infrastructure to support coalition

Personal Leadership for coalition building

• Listening to others
• Willing to compromise
• Shared roles
• Trusting
• Conflict resolution without blaming
• Flexible within certain boundaries

What is next for Nordlund?

• Consider some of the elements of success that

BCHLA has had

• Are there lessons that would be applicable for

Nordlund?

• What other information might you require?