Too many Canadians are moving too little, sitting too long, and not eating or sleeping adequately.

Link to publication: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=6444

OTTAWA, Oct. 21, 2014 /CNW/ - Canadians are not any healthier than they were a decade ago, despite having much more knowledge of what makes up a healthy lifestyle, according to the first publication of a Conference Board of Canada research project that makes the case for healthy active living.

"An alarming number of Canadians are moving very little, sitting too long, eating poorly, not getting enough sleep, drinking too much, and continuing to smoke," said Thy Dinh, Senior Research Associate. " Even though average life expectancy has increased, the progress made in previous decades—such as lowering smoking rates— appears to have plateaued. There is an urgent need to support Canadians in adopting healthier lifestyles and create a national culture of wellness."

The benefits of healthy active living include reductions in chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease hypertension and cancer, as well as reduced likelihood of premature death. There are also many social, emotional and environmental benefits.

Even after adjusting for the aging of the population, the prevalence of several negative health conditions has risen since 2003, according to Statistics Canada. Increases include:

• diabetes -- 24 per cent
  
• pain or discomfort that prevents activities -- 34 per cent
  
• self-reported mental health issues -- 35 per cent
  
• obesity -- 23 per cent; and
  
• high blood pressure -- eight per cent.

Concerns that children are not moving enough are also mounting. Almost one-third of children are overweight or obese.

The research will be part of the discussion at the Conference Board's Health Summit 2014: Aging, Chronic Disease, and Wellness, being held October 23 and 24 in Toronto. The next publication in the series , Moving Ahead: The Economic Impact of Reducing Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behaviour, will be released at that time.

Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput will share his insights on the adverse effects of sleep loss, both at the workplace and in general, in a live webinar, The Importance of a Good Night's Sleep for Health and Wellness on October 29, 2014 at 2 p.m. EDT.

Thy Dinh will present findings from this research in a live webinar Healthy Active Living: Is An Ounce of Prevention Worth a Pound of Cure?, on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, at 2 p.m.. EST.

Moving Ahead: Healthy Active Living in Canada is a research project by The Conference Board of Canada's Canadian Alliance for Sustainable Health Care (CASHC). It will comprise several research briefings that aim to identify cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable interventions to promote and improve healthy active living. The goal of this work is to fill the gaps in knowledge and practice, and to engage the relevant stakeholders—including government, employers, and all Canadians—in working toward a culture of healthy active living.

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SOURCE Conference Board of Canada