Why it's hard to get healthy: Expert says society needs to change, not the individual

To eat better, exercise and stop smoking are all common advice when it comes to preventing chronic disease but an expert in public health says society needs to take a closer look at why it's so difficult for individuals to follow that advice.

"We tend to concentrate on telling people to eat better and exercise more but we never stop to think about why is it as a society we are in fact increasingly gettingobese, more likely to get diabetes, people are still smoking, eating poorly," said Dr. David Mowat, a Toronto-based public health physician who will be giving a talk at UPEIon Monday.

Mowat said it's how and where we live our lives that likely influences how well we eat and if we exercise enough, and saidblaming children and families for eating junk food when they're constantly bombarded by advertising isn't the answer.

Change conditions

He said it's society that needs to change which needs to be driven by government.

One example he gave islimiting fast food restaurants or advertising for junk food close to schools.

"The point is we're asking people todo things which in our society today are difficult. Why don't we change those underlying conditions with the use of policy."

P.E.I.'s deputy chief public health officer,Dr. DavidSabapathy, and said investment needs to be made.

He also pointed to a report issued byhis office looking at children and youth with difficulteconomic and social conditions.

"We found their outcomes with things such as obesity and food insecurity, asthma, mental illness were a lot worse than children that were better off and had better conditions."

Mowatwill present his lecture on how toprevent chronic disease Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at theUPEIHealth Sciences Building.

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