Message from the Minister of Health and Minister of Sport and Physical Activity – World Obesity Day, March 4, 2024

March 4, 2024 | Ottawa, Ontario | Public Health Agency of Canada

On this year's World Obesity Day, "Let's talk about obesity and...", we would like to take the opportunity to talk about obesity and health, physical activity and nutrition, recognizing that the factors contributing to obesity are complex. Factors that extend beyond lifestyle and can include health conditions and the environment.

In Canada, almost two in three adults and one in three children and youth are overweight or living with obesity. Obesity increases the risk for several chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Our government has made promoting healthy weight and preventing chronic disease a priority and we continue to partner with stakeholders on an integrated approach to healthy living. Increasing physical activity, reducing sedentary time, obtaining adequate quality sleep, making healthy food choices and maintaining a healthy weight support both our physical and mental health.

Through the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) supports healthy living by investing in interventions that address health inequalities and chronic disease prevention.

Significant investments have also been made through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in obesity and healthy body weights research, including work to help identify the most effective interventions and prevention strategies to reduce obesity in Canada. To explore issues and better serve children and youth, PHAC funded the second cycle of the Canadian Health Survey in Children and Youth, in collaboration with Statistics Canada, CIHR, and other partners, such as the Offord Centre for Child Studies.

Diet is one of the most important factors in preventing obesity and diet-related chronic disease. Evidence shows that many factors in our food environment influence our ability to make healthy food choices and follow a healthy eating plan. The food that is available to people in our homes, schools, grocery stores and restaurants, as well as the many social influences and food marketing campaigns that we are exposed to, have a major impact on our choices and make healthy eating a challenge for many of us.

We know people are more likely to make healthy choices when the food environment is supportive. Through the voluntary Food Guide Friendly Initiative, Health Canada is collaborating with publicly funded institutions with a focus on post-secondary and recreation settings to create healthier food environments. We also continue to develop resources for diverse audiences that help promote food skills and healthy eating. Our food guide kitchen provides healthy and easy recipes, cooking tips and how-to videos that you can receive directly in your inbox.

The awareness nature of this year's World Obesity Day theme encourages us to look at obesity from different perspectives. As we continue to advance knowledge through research, invest in prevention and build supportive and physically active communities, we can all try to adopt healthier daily habits. We encourage people in Canada to be more physically active throughout the day by making small changes such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, joining a community sport league to spend time with friends or getting outside for a walk. Lastly, we encourage everyone to check out the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines to see what you can do to make your whole day matter by: moving more, reducing sedentary time and sleeping well.

The Honourable Mark Holland, P.C., M.P.

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, P.C., M.P.