First Nations band to ‘Honour Health’

A-DES was privileged to participate again as a guest at this year’s Honour Your Health Challenge (HYHC) Network and Celebration held April 19-21 at the Renaissance Hotel in Vancouver.

Nearly 400 registered delegates participated in the event, which is part of a year-round effort to promote health awareness and healthy lifestyles among aboriginal peoples across the province. Coordinator Denise Lecoy told participants that this year more than 250 communities, schools or organizations “took the challenge” and mobilized their groups toward healthier lifestyles.

While conceding that progress can be difficult, she told delegates and guests that “every step you take is meaningful and counts.” Lecoy even shared one of her own challenges, revealing that she is “down to three smokes a day” in her battle with tobacco, while readily admitting, “I need to quit.”

Monday’s workshops began with the crowd divided into four groups for concurrent “get-acquainted” sessions that let participants share their HYHC activities, as well as their personal involvement in “health challenges.” Creative programmers were doing everything from bowling, canoeing and martial arts to activities as simple as family walks.

One of the more innovative programs was started by Rosalee Morgan, who brought snowshoeing to eager youngsters at Kitwango Elementary School. More than just healthy exercise, the activity had an added practical benefit, she explained, when the kids were able to reach a snow-bound creek late in the season to help stock coho salmon fingerlings.

Overall, group walks seemed to be the easiest, most popular activity to promote. That translated into more participation in Vancouver’s annual Sun Run, held just two days earlier on April 18. Three years ago, about 150 First Nations runners participated; last year, that number jumped to 700; this year there were about 2,500 aboriginal participants.

Almost 10,000 runners/joggers/walkers completed the 10K course, but up to four times that number were estimated to have been downtown for at least the start of festivities. HYHC organizers stressed the importance of aboriginal participation and, in fact, some groups conducted specific training sessions to encourage and prepare members to turn out for the Sun Run.

All predicted an even bigger First Nations contingent next April.

McCreary survey shows adolescent gains

Adolescents in British Columbia are generally making wiser health decisions and are healthier than they were five years ago.

That’s the good news delivered by the 2008 B.C. Adolescent Health Survey released in April by the McCreary Centre Society, which has conducted this province-wide study roughly every five years since 1992. Results were compiled from detailed questionnaires completed by almost 30,000 students in grades 7-12 in 50 of 59 B.C. school districts last February through June.

Highlights of the report show that the use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana has all fallen since the last study, done in 2003. Another important finding was that for the first time since 1992, the percentage of youth who seriously considered suicide dropped, from 16% to 12% in 2008. Those who actually attempted suicide also decreased from 7% to 5%.

Fewer youth in B.C. smoked cigarettes than in 2003, and those who did waited longer to start. Three quarters of students had never tried even a puff of a cigarette, compared to 66% in 2003.

For the first time since 1992, the percentage of youth who seriously considered suicide dropped, from 16% to 12% in 2008. The percentage who actually attempted suicide also decreased from 7% to 5%.

As a sign of how good the news was, McCreary Executive Director Annie Smith said adolescents were not eating enough fruits and vegetables, nor were they getting enough exercise – sins that pale when compared to the pitfalls of drugs and sexual behavior (another category examined by researchers).

“With all the negative stereotyping we see and hear about young people in our province, it is encouraging to note that smoking, alcohol use and marijuana use have all declined since the last survey,” Smith said.

The survey showed that building protective factors “such as family, school and cultural connectedness can assist even the most vulnerable youth to overcome negative experiences, can assist young people to make healthier choices,” and can contribute to more positive health outcomes, according to Smith.

Those supportive ties of “connectivity” have been the foundation of A-DES’ prevention philosophy for more than half a century.

Still, the news was not all good: There was an increase in the use/misuse of prescription drugs, from 9% to 15% --  a trend (like poor diet and exercise) that is mirrored throughout society regardless of age.

For full data from the McCreary report, go to: http://www.mcs.bc.ca/

Survey shows need for drugs-and-driving campaign

Following two decades of progress on alcohol-impaired driving, the prevalence of drug use among drivers and its associated negative effects have emerged as a major public health and safety issue.

A recently released survey by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) found fewer people driving after drinking, but more doing so after taking drugs.

The survey released late last month, Alcohol and Drug Use Among Drivers: British Columbia Roadside Survey 2008, showed that while fewer drinkers were driving, those who did tended to do so after downing greater quantities of alcohol. What’s more, women were just as likely as men to be driving with a higher blood alcohol content (BAC).

“Drinking and driving appear to be on the decline,” said CCSA’s Doug Bierness, the survey’s lead researcher, “but unfortunately, driving after drug use is now just as prevalent.”

Bierness pointed out that police now have the tools to collect evidence and lay drug-impaired driving charges.

“Despite public perceptions that drug use is less harmful to drivers, there is a growing body of evidence that drug impairment is a major contributor to collisions,” Bierness said. “Drugs, often combined with alcohol, are detected in up to 30% of fatally injured drivers.”

For the complete CCSA report, go to: www.ccsa.ca