romanow_submission.pdf

Submission of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest to the Commission on the Future of Health Care: Improving health and ensuring the sustainability of the Canadian health care system by enhancing healthy eating and increasing physical activity Bill Jeffery, L.LB. National Coordinator Centre for Science in the Public Interest Suite 4550, CTTC Bldg. 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5R1 /canada/ Tel.: 613-244-7337 Fax: 613-244-1559 jefferyb@istar.ca Submission of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest1 to the Commission on the Future of Health Care: Improving health and ensuring the sustainability of the Canadian health care system by enhancing healthy eating and increasing physical activity Scope of the Problem Preventable diet- and inactivity-related diseases place an enormous burden on Canadian society. Inactivity and poor diet are risk factors for heart disease, stroke, certain forms of cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and many other illnesses. According to Health Canada and Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, the portion of health care costs and lost productivity caused by diet-related cases of just four diseases (heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes) exceeded $5.3 billion in the year 2000.2 Similarly, a study recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal estimated that inactivity-related disease is responsible for more than 21,000 deaths annually in Canada and