Project background and justification: Obesity prevalence has risen to a record level since 1970's in Canada. Inthe past 30 years the measured age- adjusted obesity rates for adults increased from 14% to almost 23% and childhood obesity has tripled in last 25 years( Statistical data, 2005). As of 2004, 26% of Canadian children and adolescents aged 2-17 years were overweight or obese (Shield, 2006).
Lack of physical activity and irregular eating habits are the counted as the major factors in obesity. Environmental factors also play a major role in provoking trends of obesity in young people. Researchers focus on the different ecological factors influencing person's body behavior for obesity. Canadians are taking almost 30% of daily calories from different types of nutrient-weak, energy-densefoods and more than 50% of Canadians are unable to take the daily requirements of fruit and vegetable consumption.
People in Canada and America are increasingly eating more meals outside the home, and they are consuming more energy dense food and beverages (Harnacket.,2000, Statistics Canada,2003). Fast foods have adverse effects as a health point of view. Over a 15-year period fast food consumption had a strong positive association with weight gain and insulin resistance in CardiaStudy( Pereira et.al; 2005).
Researchers are associating health imbalance with the food retail assessability in different areas of the country. These include higher obesity, overweight and hypertension rates aamong residents living in the cnsus tract without a supermarket(Morland et al., 2006) or in zip codes with more fast food outlets( Lewis et al., 2005). The higher number of mortality and acute coronary syndrome hospital admission in Ontario( Canada) health regions woth more fast food outlets( Alter and Eny, 2005).
Furthermore access to supermarkets and fast food restaurants may influence food consumption trends for disadvantaged groups that have fewer resources than more affluent groups for travelling outside of the local area to purchase food(Kumanyika and Grier, 2006).
Several studies have found an association between obesity risk and urban sprawl, a pattern of development characterized by decentralization, low density land uses, and automobile-focused transportation systems (Lopez, R. 2004).One study found a relationship between neighborhood form, including street connectivity (the size of blocks, the number of intersections, and the ability to get from one part of a community to another in a direct manner or through multiple pathways), and physical activity and obesity risk in Atlanta, GA (Frank, L., Andersen, M., Schmid, T. 2004). Similar results were found in a parallel study in Seattle/King County, WA (Frank, L., Sallis, J., Conway, T., Chapman, J., Saelens, B., Bachman, W.2006). Studies in Ontario, Canada, and in Melbourne, Australia, found that more advantaged areas had more supermarkets(Smoyer-Tomic K, Spence J, Raine K, Amrhein C, Cameron N, Yasenovskiy V, Cutumisu N, Hemphill E, Healy), while other Canadian studies, and also studies in New Zealand, found that more disadvantaged areas had more supermarkets (Apparicio P, Cloutier M, Shearmur R 2007).
Researchers found poor assess to low- income, inner-city and predominantly African American or Hispanic neighbourhoods within Us urban areas, Espacially compared to more affluent suburban and primarily white residential area(cMorland et al., 2002). A growing number of studies explore the potential contribution of the local food retail environment (Cummins S, Macintyre 2006).
Another study that used data from the National Health Examination Study found that residents in neighborhoods built before 1973 were more likely to walk. The authors hypothesized that older neighborhoods were more likely to have highly connected street patterns, walkable destinations, and other amenities that may ultimately affect obesity risk (Berrigan, D., Troiano, R. 2002). Other studies have found that mixed use communities, accessible parks, the presence of public transportation, walkable destinations, sidewalks, and other neighborhood factors can influence physical activity patterns and/or obesity risk (Sallis, J., Rochaska, J., Taylor, W. 2000).
Public health practices in Canada are in dramatic period of evolution. In Canada the threat of obesity and other medical problems in socioeconomically poor areas need urgent renewal of public health policies. The public Health agency of Canada and Ontario agency of health promotion and protection reveals the need of such requirements in the recent years.
Considering obesity as a public health problem in Ontario, University of Ontario, take opportunity and obligation to start academic public health in their Campus as a mission.
Proposal to start a school of Community Health at the University of Ontario :
The focus of different health care studies and researches in future is on the prevention of chronic diseases and health problems. This project will provide an ideal opportunity to understand the positives and pitfalls in the health care system of the country. This sort of education program gives opportunity to health care providers and the health policy makers to understand the needs of common people and to do measures to alleviate the common issues. This program gives a peer view of the future with tools to make a difference with education of the minds. We get opportunity to study in full spectrum of life to prevent the childhood obesity. This also provides awareness to the aging people to increase mobility for better health status. The educational style in this sort of school is to cover the ethical issues of particular communities. This helps in exploring the best approach to promote health and improving health care services.
Aims:
To conduct a more formal assessment of the community health relating to nutrition in the Ontario area and proper planning of any health intervention. This involves the indepth survey and use to determine the prevalence of obesity and other food related health issues in the area.
To set up Health Awareness program with training of community workers in the Ontario socioeconomic poor areas.
Vision and Mandate of the Project:
The department of community health sciences has a vision of interprofessional research and education of their goals and ideas.
The school of Public health serves to coordinate different researches and education in the different faculties of University of Ontario and its associated institutes.
To establish a dynamic academic center in the university to coordinate the existing strength and align it with other community health institutes in the world.
To research and study the incidence and prevalence of obesity and other food related health issues of the rural community.
To enhance learning processes in the success and failures of the obesity and other food related problems management.
The ultimate goal is to develop zero tolerance to health related issues like obesity in the community. To develop and maintain research data of the food consume, obesity prevalence and its management.
It aims at development of public health practitioners and researchers.
It also gives opportunity to enhance knowledge and behavior of community health workers regarding sufficient educational material for obesity and its association with socioeconomic group.
Rural health development programs at different levels should be offered in the School of Ontario University. This will help to build the strength of study in rural areas and sociology of the community to give a solid foundation in health care services and policy making.
Project Beneficiaries:
The community who live in poor populated regions of Ontario and other part of the country even the world will be the beneficiaries of this research studies. The health sector will learn from these studies in the University how to plan, advocate and mobilize resources. They try to find the ways how to implement obesity control measure in the community.
Studying the food and nutrition further complements efforts for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle of a community. There should be special teaching on the nutrition through the life cycle, principles of food and nutrition, clinical nutrition and fundamentals of community nutrition.
These sort of education researches gives opportunities to find factors which influence the health of the communities. Health promotion and care is quite a multidimensional field of study that requires a breadth of other fields of medicine and dentistry. This sort of program gives insight with solid theories of the issues surrounding health behavior.
Project sustainability:
The project of community health study in the University of Ontario consist of initiatives to improve Obesity and other food related health issues through better research and education. This will motivate and initiate health care providers to expand their study and research. There would be exchange of ideas to control this public health issue.
The interdisciplinary and research program would be recognized internationally and received good accreditation globally. The breadth and depth of study will be unique in this School for health care.
The development of such program in the University of Ontario is essential for the future of health services in the Country and particularly in Ontario. This program helps in establishing policies on health services on solid grounds.
.
Stepping ups for the School of community health:
Unique student experience.
Must meet scholarly challanges
Linking different levels of research programs to strong research experience
Scholarships and academic program for different health issues like obesity research
Achieve equity and diversity in all level of research and community health
This all effort will strongly address the inequalities in health related issues in different parts of Ontario and throughout Canada.
Partnership:
Partnership and association is of fundamental importance in establishing this school of public health in the University of Ontario.
Different faculties like Faculty of Medicine and dentistry have a strong partnership with the community health services in the area. Nursing Faculty also has strong association with public health sector. Several cognate departments should also be linked with this school of community health. Different collaborating institutes like high blood pressure care department, obesity control department, Cancer care department should share their research with this school of public health. There should be collaborating with different health agencies worldwide to share their research and ideas to manage the health issues of the community.
Research:
Research programs should be arranged with different levels of study teams to visit the rural and urban population. These teams would study the living and eating habits of specific groups of community to study the prevalence of obesity in these groups. Then correlating the data further educational study should be done. This would help in provoking awareness and initiatives to control the issue within their own expenses. This school also helps in raising the issue in the health departments.
Researches and studies should be established in this school for the food values to label different good and bad food for every group of population. Study must raise awareness against the fast food in the socio economic poor area. The health sector should consider the issue of supermarkets and fast food availability in rural and urban population.
Mass Education:
The school of community health in the University of Ontario would establish undergraduate studies for the student and even midwives to meet the urban groups of population and guide them about food values. Awareness about the fast food and obesity must be provoked among masses. The school should guide the masses the association of obesity with heart diseases and other medical problems.
Community survey:
Community health workers conduct Community Survey at different levels and engage in basic health promotion and guiding the public about the food values and hazards of obesity to health.
This program give opportunity to explore the theories underlying the rehabilitation of health of children and adults. Student will study the impact and effects of obesity, cardiac diseases, diabetes, And other associated health conditions.
Data Analysis:
The survey done by community health workers then compiled and further researched in the school of public health in Ontario University. This would help in evaluating proper management and treatment of the issue.
Governance model of the School:
It is proposed that the school of community health in the University of Ontario should have a transitional governance model. Once the school was established the department of public health science would take care of the model.
Budget:
All the resources and funds should be generated from the department of health sciences. Different associated faculties also generate funds for the research of diseases like obesity in this school of community health.
Overall objective of the School of community health:
The main objective of the school is to establish study lines for different public health issues. The school should be forefront in the public health particularly in the area of low socioeconomic population. This would be established by finding the determinants of the health issues. The main output of the project is developing awareness in the mass about different foods and their related health issues. To control food related obesity in poor population.
This is an ideal program for university of Ontario to start studies on rehabilitation of health services and working of health care providers. This also give practical opportunity to do researches and also educate the community to improve their health conditions.
