Report: Taking Action to Prevent Chronic Disease
The Taking Action to Prevent Chronic Disease report addresses the prevalence of chronic diseases in Ontario. It identifies policy-based interventions and system-wide changes to inform future action from the province. The report addresses 4 risk factors associated with chronic diseases. To create the report, Cancer Care Ontario partnered with Public Health Ontario to bring together experts in the 4 risk factors, public health, measurement and evaluation, and knowledge exchange.
The report presents 22 evidence-based recommendations on:
- Reducing exposure to tobacco use, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating
- Building capacity for chronic disease prevention
- Working towards health equity
Summary of Recommendations
Tobacco Use
- Increase tobacco tax
- Broaden and extend the integrated tobacco cessation system
- Implement a sustained social marketing campaign
- Ban smoking on bar and restaurant patios
Alcohol Consumption
- Maintain and reinforce socially responsible pricing
- Ensure effective controls on alcohol availability
- Strengthen targeted controls on alcohol marketing and promotion
- Increase access to brief counselling interventions
Physical Activity
- Require physical education credits
- Evaluate daily physical activity
- Support active transportation
- Provide leadership through workplace physical activity policy
Healthy Eating
- Create an Ontario food and nutrition strategy
- Include compulsory food skills in curricula
- Support healthy eating in publicly funded institutions
- Implement mandatory menu labelling in food service operations
Capacity Building
- Adopt a whole-of-government approach
- Improve measurement and increase accountability
- Connect knowledge with practice
- Implement a coordinated health communications campaign
Health Equity
- Reduce health inequities
- Address First Nations, Inuit and Métis health
Also see: Report: Path to Prevention