Elgin St. Thomas Public Health

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Chronic Disease Prevention

As you likely know from your own clinical practice, the prevalence of chronic diseases is on the rise and accounts for substantial morbidity and mortality in Canada and worldwide. There are a couple of main reasons for this – an aging population, and a society and environment that encourages and supports poor lifestyle habits. The situation can no longer be explained only as an outcome of individuals engaging in the “wrong” health behaviours. It’s pretty tough to commit to regular physical activity when people aren’t encouraged to be active to prevent or manage chronic diseases, employees are expected to work long hours, roads are designed around vehicles, and organized activity for children is too expensive for low income parents.

We know from the research that primary care providers can have a tremendous impact on both their patients’ decisions to follow a healthy lifestyle and on society in general as advocates for healthy communities.

Whether you are a physician, a pharmacist, a dentist, a nurse or another health professional, our website is designed to give you the information and tools you need to help you engage your patients in a dialogue about the risk factors for chronic diseases.