Municipal governments can and should try to do their part in promoting heart health for their residents, says Sundre Mayor Annette Clews.In a recently released study, the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation called on governments at all levels to do more to promote resident health.The ìDenial Is Putting Canadians At High Risk of Cutting their Lives Shortî study found that far too many Canadians are in denial about the health risks of being overweight and physically inactive, and having high blood pressure.Among the recommendations coming out of the study is that municipal governments take more actions aimed at improving citizen health.Those actions should include:ï Create more walkable communities that include mixed land use and density, promote a range of housing options and affordability, and develop good public transportation systems.ï Retrofit and rezone existing communities to include sidewalks, parks and pedestrian connections to schools, workplaces, shops and services.ï Implement smoking bans in outdoor spaces including playgrounds, parks, beaches, patios, sports and culture events.The costs of upgrading public facilities such as walkways and bike paths are worthwhile if they end up promoting improved resident health, says Clews.ìWe all want healthier communities,î Clews told the Gazette ìThe upgrades are a good investment, and in the long run they will help reduce health-care costs.îSundre recently adopted a municipal sustainability plan as one way of promoting healthy residents, Clews said.ìUnder the plan we are doing what we can to upgrade our sidewalks, extending our pathways and pedestrian connections, and upgrading our parks,î she said.ìWe encourage other communities to take initiatives like we are doing,î she added.Developed by the multi-stakeholder Sustainable Sundre Committee, the plan calls for the town to ìwork with recreation facilities that encourage healthy choices to promote their programs and activities.îThe plan's vision statement reads: ìThe citizens of Sundre and district, current and future generations, enjoy an enhanced quality of life in a safe, caring, co-operative, culturally vibrant, affordable and healthy community. They have the opportunity to direct their destinies in a well-planned, sustainable future.îThe Heart and Stroke study, based on the survey of 2,000 Canadians, found that at least 90 per cent of Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease and stroke, 25 per cent of Canadians are obese, and that only half of Canadians meet physical activity and healthy eating recommendations.ìWe are overestimating our healthy behaviours and underestimating our tendency to be couch potatoes,î said Dr. Beth Abramson, spokesperson for the Heart and Stoke Foundation. ìIt is not just years of life that are at stake; it's healthy quality years that can be gained.îThe study's authors recommend that provincial governments ìprohibit or restrict the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children, and work with the food industry and public health groups to augment the marketing of health foods and beverages.ì(And) develop and implement sustainable, regional development plans and increase funding for municipal infrastructure and public transportation.îThe authors say the federal government should, among other things, ìimplement regulations to effectively eliminate processed trans fatsî and ìdevelop tax policies to encourage healthy nutrition and physical activity.îAccording to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, inactivity and obesity can cut almost four years off a person's expected lifespan, high blood pressure 2 1/2 years and low vegetable-and-fruit consumption, 1.3 years.The Heart and Stroke Foundation has launched a free Application software ñ called ëMy Heart&Stroke Health App' ñ to help identify health and stroke risks. It can be downloaded at heartandstroke.ca/mobileapps.
