NEWS RELEASES

GTA Students Ignoring Healthy Lifestyles Despite Recognizing Importance of Exercise and Diet

George Brown College survey shows 40 per cent of middle-school students eat junk food every day
while 53 per cent fail to exercise even four hours a week

(Toronto, ON) November 23, 2006 - Grade seven and eight students across the GTA know what it takes to be healthy, but are not following their own advice, according to a George Brown College survey released today at Health in the City. The annual event, sponsored by the College's Faculty of Community Services and Health Sciences, brings health educators and professionals together with students interested in health services careers.

Half of the students surveyed rated their own overall health as poor to average. Forty per cent admitted to eating chips and chocolate every day, and the majority did not meet Health Canada's guidelines for daily physical activity. Yet, when asked what it will take for society to become healthier, the vast majority answered "eat healthier foods and exercise more".

"While there's lots of talk about how important it is to lead a healthy lifestyle, students are not personally doing what it takes to get any healthier," said Lorie Shekter-Wolfson, Dean of Community Services and Health Sciences, George Brown College. "The survey reinforces that health promotion and prevention need to be a critical part of the health care system and that's why we're emphasizing it in our professional curriculum."

George Brown College is working to ensure its students see health promotion and prevention as an important part of the health care system, just as is disease management, health information and oral health. By incorporating an interprofessional framework, the college emphasizes these components so that graduates will be able to work more collaboratively to significantly improve patient care.

One of the ways George Brown is preparing students for future collaborative practice is by creating innovative partnerships such as the one with St. Michael's Hospital. Starting early in 2007, George Brown College Health Sciences students in nursing, dental hygiene and fitness and wellness will work together with second year St. Michael's medical students in the College's expanded Interprofessional Learning Clinic.

The survey, which asked questions of nearly 300 middle-school students across the GTA, clearly shows behaviour is not following understanding when it comes to health:

When asked to rate their health on a scale of one to five, 51 per cent rated themselves between one and three [1 being overweight and inactive; 5 being eat well and exercise regularly (3 or more hours a week)]
40 per cent reported eating snack food (defined as chips and chocolate) once a day
More than half (53 per cent) exercise less than four hours a week. The recommended Health Canada guideline is 30-60 minutes of physical activity per day.
One-third of respondents watch TV for eight or more hours each week
23 per cent spend eight or more hours each week at a computer or playing video games

George Brown College's third annual Health in the City event, titled "Health and Wellness: What will it take?," explores the issue of why people are not getting healthier and the role health care professionals need to take to better support the system. The event featured Nora Spinks, President of Work-Life Harmony, who, along with a panel of health care experts, examined the rate of increased ill health, particularly higher incidents of obesity and diabetes. The panel, consisting of a primary care physician, a dentist and a George Brown nursing professor, made several recommendations:

Individuals need to take responsibility for their own health promotion and prevention as key strategies to keeping healthy
Health care professionals need to better understand each other's role in supporting health promotion and prevention. They also need to collaborate and communicate better with other practitioners as well as with their patients to improve overall health
Health care educators need to ensure that health promotion and prevention is incorporated in the curriculum so that those entering the system today have the ability to change the way health care is delivered

Five hundred grade seven and eight students are attending Health in the City to learn about the state of their own health as well as about how they can help others through one of the many health care career options. The survey reveals that many students (55 per cent) are interested in a career in health care yet don't realize what study options are available to them. Only 17 per cent thought the majority of health professionals are educated at college, while the reality is 70 per cent of health care workers in Ontario are college graduates.

[Find out the complete results of the Health in the City Survey...]

Health in the City 2006 Photos

George Brown Health Science students (in blue t-shirts) introduce Grade 7 and 8 students to ideas for healthy living and careers in health sciences at Health in the City at George Brown College on November 23, 2006. [See the photos from the Health in the City 2006 event...]

About the Centre for Health Sciences at George Brown College

George Brown College's Centre for Health Sciences is a key contributor to improving the quality of health care delivery in Ontario. A leading health care educator, George Brown College prepares health sciences graduates to support collaborative practice and patient-centred care with interprofessional-focused, team-based education. Students can study at George Brown for such health care professions as Nursing, Fitness and Lifestyle Management, Oral Health and Health Information Management.

For more information, complete survey results, or digital photos of the day's activities, please contact:

Jessica Rutledge / Alison Crocker
Media Profile
416-504-8464
jessica@mediaprofile.com / crocker@mediaprofile.com

About George Brown College

Toronto’s George Brown College has established a reputation for equipping students with the skills, industry experience and credentials to pursue the careers of their choice. From its two main campuses located across the downtown core, George Brown offers 148 full-time and 1,600 continuing education programs across a wide variety of professions to a student body of approximately 63,000 (including those enrolled in full-time, part-time and continuing education programs). Students can earn diplomas, post-graduate certificates, industry accreditations, apprenticeships and four-year bachelor degrees.

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For more information, please contact:

Paul Zanettos
Media Relations Consultant
George Brown College
Office: 416-415-5000 ext. 3428
Mobile: 416-893-5435

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