WHY A MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROMOTION?
Ontarians may be living longer, but we are not spending all those years in good health.
Most of us will live, on average, between nine and twelve years with an illness or disability.1
Many of the diseases and injuries that burden our lives can be prevented or avoided.
Good health gives us the energy to enjoy life. It is a life-long commitment that includes a combination of good nutrition, exercise, healthy living, avoiding tobacco, preventing injuries and reducing stress. Good health leads to a healthier society and a stronger economy. Health promotion is an investment in ourselves, our communities, our province, and our future.
The Ministry of Health Promotion has a unique opportunity, as a newly established ministry, to develop comprehensive strategies that include chronic disease prevention, physical activity, sport participation, injury prevention and mental wellness initiatives in an integrated approach to overall good health.
Prevention Is Key
- About half of all cancer deaths could be prevented by not smoking, eating healthy foods and being more physically active 2
- Smoking is responsible for 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% in women 3
- 90% of Type 2 diabetes and 80% of coronary heart disease could be avoided by exercising regularly, eating healthy foods, avoiding smoking and managing stress 4
- In Ontario, almost 60% of adults and 28% of children and youth are overweight or obese 5
- Smoking costs Ontario $4.3 billion: $1.7 billion in health care costs and $2.6 billion in lost productivity 6
- Obesity costs Ontario $1.6 billion: $647 million in direct costs and $905 million in indirect costs, or 2.2% of the total healthcare costs in 2001 7
- On average, someone in Ontario visits an emergency department every 30 seconds and someone is hospitalized every 10 minutes as a result of injury 8
CHALLENGES TO GOOD HEALTH
Many complex factors affect our health.
Social and economic determinants such as education, housing, social support and the environment play an important role in our health. It takes partners working together to overcome some of the barriers to good health.
Good health is a lifelong commitment.
An individual can improve his or her health just by increasing their physical activity, participating in sports, eating healthy foods and not smoking. It takes time to improve the health of an entire community.
There is a growing health gap in Ontario.
While many Ontarians are getting healthier, others are being left behind. Certain higher risk communities, for example, Aboriginal peoples, face urgent health challenges such as high rates of diabetes and increased risk of heart disease.
Teamwork is required to create a culture of health and wellbeing.
To inspire people and to create a culture of health and wellbeing, we must work with organizations, communities and government to coordinate our messages and efforts in order to have a sustained impact.
