Act Now! Program Brings Culture of Fitness and Health Living to BC

March 19, 2005

Today was proclaimed the first annual ActNow! BC day as Premier Gordon Campbell launched the Act Now! BC program, with the goal of making the province the healthiest jurisdiction ever to host an Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Today is the first day of a provincewide effort to establish a real culture of fitness and health living embraced by British Columbians of all ages,” said Campbell as he led a 30-minute community walk near Vancouver’s Jericho Beach. “We live in an incredible place and there’s no reason why we can’t be a world leader in physical activity and healthy living.

“ActNow! BC is about each of us making small choices that can result in big improvements to our quality of life. Starting with just 30 minutes of moderate exercise and five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, we can dramatically improve our health.”

Health Services Minister Shirley Bond and MLAs across the province also led community events to celebrate ActNow! BC day in Prince George, Smithers, Courtenay, Port Alberni and Campbell River and were joined by families, local athletic teams, bicycle clubs, dancers and representatives of community and recreations centres.

“Research tells us that four risk factors are the major causes of our most common chronic diseases,” said Minister Bond. “Individually and together, our lifestyle choices about nutrition, exercise, tobacco and healthy choices during pregnancy can make a real difference in our own health, and in the sustainability of the entire health care system. These choices can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and some types of cancer.”

In the February throne speech, government made healthy living one of B.C.’s five Great Goals for a Golden Decade. The Province already supports several health prevention measures including:

  • ActionSchools! BC, a best practices physical activity and healthy eating model designed to assist schools in promoting healthy living.
  • The School Fruit and Vegetable Program, a pilot study that will provide a serving of fruits or vegetables, two times a week during the school year, for elementary school children to eat at school.
  • B.C.’s Tobacco Strategy - Targeting our Efforts, focuses on groups with the highest tobacco use such as young adults and aboriginal persons. Example initiatives include QuitNow.ca, Kick the Nic, and preparatory work for a Tobacco-Free 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games initiative for 2010.
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder awareness and prevention programs to eliminate alcohol use in pregnancy, and a Helping Moms Quit initiative to assist pregnant teens and young mothers to quit smoking.

ActNow! BC combines cross-government and community-based approaches to address common chronic disease risk factors through programs and initiatives that support healthier eating, physical activity, ending tobacco use and promoting healthy choices during pregnancy. ActNow! BC will call upon the wealth of knowledge, volunteer resources, and enthusiasm of the BC Healthy Living Alliance (BCHLA) and 2010 LegaciesNow.

The BC Healthy Living Alliance is a coalition of nine organizations committed to improving the health of British Columbians through leadership that enhances collaborative action to promote physical activity, healthy eating and living smoke-free. 2010 LegaciesNow is a not-for-profit society that works in partnership with community organizations, non-government organizations, the private sector and all levels of government to develop sustainable legacies in sport and recreation, arts, literacy, and volunteerism.

Suzanne Strutt, chair of the BCHLA attended the Premier’s event. “We congratulate the government on setting measurable targets in the effort to reduce the incidence of chronic disease,” she said. “As an advocacy group, we look forward to working with government and to hold it accountable to meeting and even exceeding these goals.”

“The keys to living a longer and healthier life are pretty simple,” said family physician and media personality Dr. Art Hister. “Eating more fruits and vegetables will be good for your physical health. And the 30 minutes of exercise each day will improve your psychological wellbeing, too.”
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