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Our Point of View
Canadian Leadership: The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion After 30 Years
The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, which proposed an international effort to achieve better health for all by 2000, celebrates its 30th anniversary on November 21, 2016. The tactics espoused by the Ottawa Charter, largely dependent on government interventions, have advanced the health of Canadians over the past 30 years. Early and long-standing interactions between...Gillian Christie | Nov 21, 2016
behavioral economics, Canada, Canadians, chronic disease prevention, health promotion, Ottawa Charter, private sector, technologies, World Health Organization
Our Point of View
Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle to Avoid Diabetes
Today is World Diabetes Day, celebrated annually on November 14. World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. The theme of World Diabetes Day this year is ‘Eyes on diabetes’, with the following...Cother Hajat | Nov 14, 2016
diabetes, early detection, engagement, International Diabetes Federation, lifestyle, pharmacological treatment, pre-diabetes, prevention, screening, Vitality, World Diabetes Day, World Health Organization
Our Point of View
Rounding Up the War on Cancer
On September 28, 2016, The Economist hosted its second annual “War on Cancer” event in Boston, Massachusetts. The one-day meeting featured influential speakers, including Greg Simon, the Executive Director of the Cancer Moonshot Taskforce; Kyu Rhee, the Chief Health Officer at IBM; and Howard Krein, the Chief Medical Officer at StartUp Health. The World Health...Gillian Christie | Oct 7, 2016
alcohol, cancer, Cancer Moonshot Taskforce, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Congressional Budget Office, exercise, healthy diet, IBM, StartUp Health, The Economist, tobacco use, war on cancer, weight, World Health Organization
Our Point of View
Improving the Health of Canadians: Vitality Enters Canada with Manulife
In 1946, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Constitution outlined a comprehensive definition of health as: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition of health was later espoused by Canada’s former Minister of Health and Welfare, Marc Lalonde, in 1974. His...Gillian Christie | Oct 4, 2016
Canada, chronic disease, chronic disease prevention, health promotion, Manulife Vitality, Marc Lalonde, mental health, Ottawa Charter, physical health, social well-being, technology, World Health Organization
Our Point of View
Accelerating Cancer Prevention
The World Health Organization estimates that the number of new cancer cases will rise by 70% over the next two decades. While the dialogue on cancer is too often on treatment, about a third of cancer deaths are due to the five leading behavioral and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable...Derek Yach & Gillian Christie | Sep 22, 2016
alcohol, alcohol use, cancer, healthy diet, physical activity, war on cancer, World Health Organization
New Research
UHC and informal workplaces
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Forum on Public–Private Partnerships for Global Health and Safety (PPP Forum) held their inaugural meeting July 29 and 30, 2014 and recently published their recommendations in the report: “Approaches to Universal Health Coverage and Occupational Health and Safety for the Informal Workforce in Developing Countries.” Informal employment...Cother Hajat | Aug 1, 2016
data, environment, innovation, National Academy of Sciences, workplace health, World Health Organization
Our Point of View
May 31 is World NO Tobacco Day – Today!
In 1998, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland was appointed as Director General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO). The Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) was one of two early “pathfinder projects” initiated by Brundtland, along with Roll Back Malaria. TFI was tasked with addressing the drivers of a growing disease burden focused on non-communicable disease (NCDs),...Derek Yach & Gillian Christie | May 31, 2016
#NoTobacco, FCTC, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Margaret Chan, TFI, Tobacco, tobacco control, tobacco free initiative, tobacco products, WHO, World Health Assembly, World Health Organization, world no tobacco day
Impact, Our Point of View
Mental Health Emerging Out of the Shadows
The 1930s marked substantial investment by the Rockefeller Foundation in the scientific development of mental health, including psychiatry, neurology, and care symptoms, in the US, the UK, and elsewhere. This funding provided a foundation for the potential transformation of mental health in a post-World War II health agenda. Since the 1930s, the international development community...Derek Yach & Gillian Christie | Apr 26, 2016
Big White Wall, mental health, NCDs, personalized health technology, prevention, SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals, UK, US, wearable technology, WHO, World Bank, World Health Organization
Impact, Our Point of View
Harnessing the Power of Women to Beat Diabetes
April 7 marks the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Health Day. This year’s theme – Beat Diabetes – comes at a critical time when 415 million people are affected by diabetes worldwide. The campaign aims to curb the proliferation of Type 2 diabetes cases, which are expected to double by 2030, by scaling up prevention...Gabriela Seplovich and Adriana Selwyn | Apr 7, 2016
diabetes, International Diabetes Federation, Nutrition, personalized health technology, type 2 diabetes, WHO, women, World Health Day, World Health Organization
Impact, Our Point of View
“Move for Health” – Physical Activity and Diabetes Prevention
Diabetes is a disorder that causes blood glucose levels to rise higher than normal. The most common form of diabetes is Type 2, or non-insulin dependent diabetes. With this disease, your body does not use insulin properly, causing insulin resistance. Over time, insulin resistance decreases your body’s ability to keep its blood glucose (sugar) at...Kristie Willenborg | Apr 5, 2016
Agita Mundo, American Heart Association, diabetes, glycemic index, National Walking Day, Nutrition, risk factors, type 2 diabetes, United States, WHO, World Day for Physical Activity, World Health Organization
