Healthy Public Policy Options to Promote Physical Activity for Chronic Disease Prevention: Understanding Canadian Policy Influencer and General Public Preferences

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 565-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Ann McGetrick ◽  
Krystyna Kongats ◽  
Kim D. Raine ◽  
Corinne Voyer ◽  
Candace I.J. Nykiforuk

Background: Attitudes and beliefs of policy influencers and the general public toward physical activity policy may support or impede population-level action, requiring improved understanding of aggregate preferences toward policies that promote physical activity. Methods: In 2016, the Chronic Disease Prevention Survey was administered to a census sample of policy influencers (n = 302) and a stratified random sample of the public (n = 2400) in Alberta and Québec. Using net favorable percentages and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ intervention ladder framework to guide analysis, the authors examined support for evidence-based healthy public policies to increase physical activity levels. Results: Less intrusive policy options (ie, policies that are not always the most impactful) tended to have higher levels of support than policies that eliminated choice. However, there was support for certain types of policies affecting influential determinants of physical activity such as the built environment (ie, provided they enabled rather than restricted choice) and school settings (ie, focusing on children and youth). Overall, the general public indicated stronger levels of support for more physical activity policy options than policy influencers. Conclusions: The authors’ findings may be useful for health advocates in identifying support for evidence-based healthy public policies affecting more influential determinants of physical activity.

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Dietz ◽  
◽  
Ross C. Brownson ◽  
Clifford E. Douglas ◽  
John J. Dreyzehner ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliano Schwartz ◽  
Paul Oh ◽  
Maira B. Perotto ◽  
Ryan E. Rhodes ◽  
Wanda Firth ◽  
...  

In light of new evidence on the prevention of chronic diseases and the elevated rates of overweight and obesity in Brazil and Canada, this critical review aims to interpret and synthesize current aspects regarding dietary and physical activity initiatives in both countries and make future recommendations. The pioneering work presented in the last Brazilian dietary guidelines has been called a model that can be applied globally, given its conceptualization of healthy eating that translates easily to practical guidance. The new Canadian Food Guide has incorporated similar aspects, also putting the country as a leader in dietary guidance. With these new recommendations, citizens in both Brazil and Canada have access to impactful evidence-informed nutritional guidelines. Both documents propose eating patterns that focus not only on health benefits, such as chronic disease prevention, but also incorporate well-being concerning cultural, economic, sociodemographic, biological, and ecological dimensions. A similar approach is required for physical activity to allow individuals to have attainable health and life goals and thereby fully enjoy their lives, regardless of geographical location, health status, and socioeconomic condition, a concept recently described as physical activity security. The wholistic dietary guidelines from both countries represent a change in paradigm in public health. Likewise, national evidence-based policies are warranted to reduce disparities in physical activity, allowing healthier and more active lifestyles for everyone.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1492-1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Kongats ◽  
Jennifer Ann McGetrick ◽  
Kim D Raine ◽  
Corinne Voyer ◽  
Candace IJ Nykiforuk

AbstractObjectiveTo assess and compare the favourability of healthy public policy options to promote healthy eating from the perspective of members of the general public and policy influencers in two Canadian provinces.DesignThe Chronic Disease Prevention Survey, administered in 2016, required participants to rank their level of support for different evidence-based policy options to promote healthy eating at the population level. Pearson’s χ2 significance testing was used to compare support between groups for each policy option and results were interpreted using the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ intervention ladder framework.SettingAlberta and Québec, Canada.ParticipantsMembers of the general public (n 2400) and policy influencers (n 302) in Alberta and Québec.ResultsGeneral public and policy influencer survey respondents were more supportive of healthy eating policies if they were less intrusive on individual autonomy. However, in comparing levels of support between groups, we found policy influencers indicated significantly stronger support overall for healthy eating policy options. We also found that policy influencers in Québec tended to show more support for more restrictive policy options than their counterparts from Alberta.ConclusionsThese results suggest that additional knowledge brokering may be required to increase support for more intrusive yet impactful evidence-based policy interventions; and that the overall lower levels of support among members of the public may impede policy influencers from taking action on policies to promote healthy eating.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. NP155-NP157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam G. Gavarkovs ◽  
Shauna M. Burke ◽  
Kristen C. Reilly ◽  
Robert J. Petrella

Chronic disease is becoming increasingly prevalent in Canada. Many of these diseases could be prevented by adoption of healthy lifestyle habits including physical activity and healthy eating. Men, especially those in rural areas, are disproportionately affected by chronic disease. However, men are often underrepresented in community-based chronic disease prevention and management (CDPM) programs, including those that focus on physical activity and/or healthy eating. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of program delivery staff regarding the challenges in recruitment and participation of men in physical activity and healthy eating programs in rural communities, and suggestions for improvement. Semistructured interviews were conducted by telephone with 10 CDPM program delivery staff from rural communities in Southwest Ontario, Canada. Time and travel constraints, relying on spouses, and lack of male program leaders were cited as barriers that contributed to low participation levels by men in CDPM programs. Hiring qualified male instructors and engaging spouses were offered as strategies to increase men’s participation. The results of this study highlight many of the current issues faced by rural health organizations when offering CDPM programming to men. Health care organizations and program delivery staff can use the recommendations in this report to improve male participation levels.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna J. DeRuyter ◽  
Xiangji Ying ◽  
Elizabeth L. Budd ◽  
Karishma Furtado ◽  
Rodrigo Reis ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Fan ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Delei Shen ◽  
Zhaohu Yu ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite increasing calls internationally for the inclusion of evidence-based decision-making (EBDM) processes in chronic disease prevention and control programming and policymaking, there is relatively sparse research assessing the current capacity of physicians and the factors influencing that capacity in China.Method A total of 892 physicians were collected from community healthcare centers (CHCs) in Shanghai, China. The experience-based chronic disease prevention (EBCDP) evaluation tool assessed physicians’ awareness, adoption, implementation and maintenance of EBCDP based on the RE-AIM framework. Linear regression analysis was used to assess associations between each EBCDP process and personal characteristics or organizational factors. Result Physicians from CHCs perceived their awareness (mean=4.90, SD=1.02) and maintenance (mean=4.71, SD=1.07) of EBCDP to be relatively low. Physicians with lower titles and monthly incomes >9,000 RMB per month tended to have relatively higher scores for the awareness, adoption, and implementation of EBCDP (P<0.05). Those who participated in one program were less likely to adopt (b=-0.284, P=0.007), implement (b=-0.292, P=0.004), and maintain (b=-0.225, P=0.025) EBCDP than those who participated in more programs. Physicians in general practice (Western medicine) had a lower level of awareness of EBCDP than those in other departments (P<0.0001). Those who were from the suburbs had lower scores regarding awareness (b=-0.150, P=0.047), implementation (b=-0.171, P=0.029), and maintenance (b=-0.237, P=0.002) compared with those from urban areas. Physicians in CHCs affiliated with universities had higher scores on all four EBCDP processes compared with those in CHCs not affiliated with a university. Conclusions This study provides evidence quantitatively illustrating the practice of EBCDP among physicians in CHCs with various personal and organizational characteristics. More solutions should be provided to increase their awareness of EBCDP to stimulate the use of EBCDP for chronic disease prevention and other public health priorities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Lofters ◽  
M. A. O’Brien ◽  
R. Sutradhar ◽  
A. D. Pinto ◽  
N. N. Baxter ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The BETTER (Building on Existing Tools to Improve Chronic Disease Prevention and Screening in Primary Care) intervention was designed to integrate the approach to chronic disease prevention and screening in primary care and demonstrated effective in a previous randomized trial. Methods We tested the effectiveness of the BETTER HEALTH intervention, a public health adaptation of BETTER, at improving participation in chronic disease prevention and screening actions for residents of low-income neighbourhoods in a cluster randomized trial, with ten low-income neighbourhoods in Durham Region Ontario randomized to immediate intervention vs. wait-list. The unit of analysis was the individual, and eligible participants were adults age 40–64 years residing in the neighbourhoods. Public health nurses trained as “prevention practitioners” held one prevention-focused visit with each participant. They provided participants with a tailored prevention prescription and supported them to set health-related goals. The primary outcome was a composite index: the number of evidence-based actions achieved at six months as a proportion of those for which participants were eligible at baseline. Results Of 126 participants (60 in immediate arm; 66 in wait-list arm), 125 were included in analyses (1 participant withdrew consent). In both arms, participants were eligible for a mean of 8.6 actions at baseline. At follow-up, participants in the immediate intervention arm met 64.5% of actions for which they were eligible versus 42.1% in the wait-list arm (rate ratio 1.53 [95% confidence interval 1.22–1.84]). Conclusion Public health nurses using the BETTER HEALTH intervention led to a higher proportion of identified evidence-based prevention and screening actions achieved at six months for people living with socioeconomic disadvantage. Trial registration NCT03052959, registered February 10, 2017.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document