Public Health Ontario (PHO) and Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) have released a new joint report called “Taking Action to Prevent Chronic Disease: Recommendations for a Healthier Ontario.” This report outlines a high level overview of identified effective interventions to prevent chronic disease at the population level.
The report was developed by expert panels and the joint PHO-CCO Prevention Working Group which reviewed evidence in support of three key objectives:
- Reducing population level exposure to tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy eating, physical inactivity (the four main risk factors for chronic disease);
- Building Ontario’s capacity for chronic disease prevention;
- Ensuring all Ontarians have equal opportunities for health.
The report includes 22 evidence-informed recommendations for actions to prevent chronic disease in four main chronic disease areas: cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. The report identifies a human and economic cost in years of life lost, quality of life and health care expenditures in these disease areas.
In the past, there have been identified enablers for chronic disease prevention but they are typically outside the health care sector. The evidence to date shows that chronic diseases are most effectively prevented through population level interventions and policies. The report stresses that every sector of society and all levels of government have to work together to prevent chronic disease.
For more information go to www.oahpp.ca.