Guest guest Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 > > Editor's Note: This article taps into an important > foodnews theme that effective food policy spans > multiple domains beyond agriculture. Emphasized here > is the importance of urban planning to counter > obesity. Mixed use development allows people to get > to work and the store without a car. The inclusion > of recreation space, walking and cycling paths > promotes healthier lifestyles and environments. > http://www.theglobeandmail.com > Better suburban planning needed to curb obesity, > experts find > > By ANDRÉ PICARD > > Wednesday, October 12, 2005 > > PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTER > > It's time to shift the focus from blaming > individuals for being fat to understanding how the > environment we live in discourages healthy living, a > scientific think tank has concluded. > > " We need to look well beyond getting more gym > classes for kids and better food in school > cafeterias, " said Diane Finegood, scientific > director of the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism > and Diabetes, part of the Canadian Institutes of > Health Research, a federal funding agency. > > " We need to understand how we can fundamentally > alter the environment so the healthy choice is the > easy choice. " > > Dr. Finegood said that means rethinking the way > public policy is created and implemented in a broad > range of areas, including urban planning, > transportation, education, agriculture and taxation. > > > But the immediate focus needs to be on > infrastructure, including urban design and planning, > she said. > > " At a time when we're about to embark on major > investments in infrastructure, we need to make sure > we do things differently, " Dr. Finegood said. > > " We can't allow ourselves to repeat the mistakes of > the past. " > > Stephen Samis, director of health policy at the > Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, agreed. > > He noted that when governments began establishing > zoning bylaws, they had three main goals: to ensure > the health, the safety and the welfare of citizens. > > " Unfortunately, the focus today is almost > exclusively on safety. We need to get back to those > other basic tenets, health and welfare, in the way > we regulate our built environment. " > > He said there are several factors that should come > in to play when there is development, including > building sidewalks, ensuring roads are > interconnected to facilitate walking and public > transport, building walking and cycling paths, > ensuring mixed-use development so people are not > forced to drive to stores, and even financing for > new housing. > > " Suburbs are a proven thing, so financing is easy, > but financing smart, healthy development is a lot > more difficult, " Dr. Samis said. " That's not smart > if you look at the impact of suburbs. " > > Canadian researcher Larry Frank has shown that > suburbanites are about 35 per cent more likely to be > obese than their urban counterparts, in large part > because they spend so much time in their cars. > > Dr. Finegood and Dr. Samis led a think tank that met > last week in Toronto to establish research > priorities for tackling the obesity epidemic. The > meeting involved more than 100 experts from a wide > array of specialties, including medicine, public > health, the environment, urban planning, economics, > agriculture, the food industry and consumer groups. > > While there was broad consensus on the need to > address suburban sprawl as a health issue, the > expert group was not able to agree on how to deal > with the obesity problem through economic incentives > and disincentives. > > While some public-health officials tout a " fat tax " > as the way to discourage consumption of unhealthy > foods, others believe healthy foods should be > subsidized to make them more accessible. > > " Clearly this is a sensitive issue, and politically > charged, " Dr. Finegood said. " But the reality for us > as scientists is that the evidence is poor: We don't > know what works and doesn't work because economic > incentives haven't been properly evaluated. " > > The main goal of the think tank is to help focus > research priorities and eventually develop better > public policies. > > " Bringing a diverse group together to look at what > we know and what we need to know about tackling > obesity is a Canadian first, " Dr. Samis said. " But > it's just a first step. We're keen to start kicking > some of this research out the door. " > > According to Statistics Canada, more than 59 per > cent of Canadian adults are of unhealthy weight. The > total includes 23 per cent who are obese (meaning > more than 30 per cent or more of their body weight > is fat) and 36 per cent who are overweight (25 per > cent or more fat). > > WHO WE ARE: This e-mail service shares information > to help more people discuss crucial policy issues > affecting global food security. The service is > managed by Amber McNair of the University of Toronto > in partnership with the Centre for Urban Health > Initiatives (CUHI) and Wayne Roberts of the Toronto > Food Policy Council, in partnership with the > Community Food Security Coalition, World Hunger > Year, and International Partners for Sustainable > Agriculture. > Please help by sending information or names and > e-mail addresses of co-workers who'd like to receive > this service, to foodnews > I have decided to do the CN Tower Climb for World Wildlife Fund. this link should take you to the 'sponsor a climber' page, where you can search by name for someone. search for my name (alison syer) and you should be able to find it. https://wwfcentral.ca/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx? & pid=232 & srcid=232 & tab=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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