I think that the point is that addressing chronic illnesses or any conditions (be it physical, mental, and etc) needs to take a boarder and more inclusive perspective. Advocating and focus on any one strategy singlely will like to result in small impact. Improving ones living standard and income status but not advocating for a healthier and active life style will not result in big impact on well-being either.
The book that you mentioned yesterday "Handbook of Urban Health", concluded that "Multiple coordinated efforts will be required to significantly alter the well-being of the economically deprived." And the same is truth for anybody. For too long, our strategies have been fragmented and uncoordinated. And this is especially reflected in the policies and funding. The interesting thing is that more coordinated efforts are seen at the community level, but our policies and funding rarely reflect that. Take any initiative, and examine the policy and funding associated with it, and you will understand what I mean. Most of the time, when we promote an intiative, and after a couple of years, the initiative starts "losing popularity", and eventually the funding dries out, but work still needs to be done. This type of policy and decision making often leaves communities with limited resources and long term sustainability. I think that it's time that we really starting doing what we say and what we write.
>>> Dennis Raphael <[log in to unmask]> 05/18/07 5:41 AM >>>
Letter in Golden Star Newspaper from BC
http://www.thegoldenstar.net/
---------------------------------------------
May 16 2007
In response to an article titled ' Determining health through personal
health practices, coping skills', which appeared in the May 2 edition of
The Golden Star.
Your aticle stated: "According to the BC Healthy Living Alliance, poor
diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use remain the biggest obvious
causes of preventable chronic disease in Canada and in B.C."
This is absolutely untrue. It is well documented that the primary
modifiable factors for chronic disease are the adverse living conditions
associated with income, housing and food insecurity. Lifestyle factors
such as diet, tobacco use, and activity account for only a small amount of
predictability of chronic disease once living conditions are taken into
account. In addition it is well documented that so-called lifestyle
programs are rarely effective for those most at risk for chronic disease.
While the motivations of lifestyle health promoters are laudable, in
reality they have the potential to divert attention away from the primary
causes of chronic diseases, adverse living conditions brought on by poor
public policy.
Dennis Raphael is a professor at York University and author of "Poverty
and Policy in Canada: Implications for health and Quality of Life",
published by Canadian Scholars' Press.
Dennis Raphael,
Toronto, Ontario
-------------------
Problems/Questions? Send it to Listserv owner: [log in to unmask]
To unsubscribe, send the following message in the text section -- NOT the subject header -- to [log in to unmask]
SIGNOFF SDOH
DO NOT SEND IT BY HITTING THE REPLY BUTTON. THIS SENDS THE MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE LISTSERV AND STILL DOES NOT REMOVE YOU.
To subscribe to the SDOH list, send the following message to [log in to unmask] in the text section, NOT in the subject header.
SUBSCRIBE SDOH yourfirstname yourlastname
To post a message to all 1200+ subscribers, send it to [log in to unmask]
Include in the Subject, its content, and location and date, if relevant.
For a list of SDOH members, send a request to [log in to unmask]
To receive messages only once a day, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SET SDOH DIGEST
To view the SDOH archives, go to: https://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/sdoh.html
-------------------
Problems/Questions? Send it to Listserv owner: [log in to unmask]
To unsubscribe, send the following message in the text section -- NOT the subject header -- to [log in to unmask]
SIGNOFF SDOH
DO NOT SEND IT BY HITTING THE REPLY BUTTON. THIS SENDS THE MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE LISTSERV AND STILL DOES NOT REMOVE YOU.
To subscribe to the SDOH list, send the following message to [log in to unmask] in the text section, NOT in the subject header.
SUBSCRIBE SDOH yourfirstname yourlastname
To post a message to all 1200+ subscribers, send it to [log in to unmask]
Include in the Subject, its content, and location and date, if relevant.
For a list of SDOH members, send a request to [log in to unmask]
To receive messages only once a day, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SET SDOH DIGEST
To view the SDOH archives, go to: https://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/sdoh.html
|
