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Public Health Analytics: A Visual Aid to Interpret the Evidence-Base of Proven Actions on Obesity in the Context of What Needs to be Achieved by Policy
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Abstracts / Can J Diabetes 37 (2013) S217eS289
been implemented extensively in Ontario at the individual school or school board level and it is currently ‘under the radar’ with respect to its impact on the school food environment. The potential public health impact of this policy change will be presented with recommendations for future research to determine its benefits and risks.
534-OR The COMPASS Study: A New Cohort Study Examining How Changes in School Policies, Programs, and The Built Environment are Associated With Obesity and Correlates of Obesity Among Students Over Time RACHEL LAXER, SCOTT T. LEATHERDALE University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Background: The school environment may impact obesity by influencing the development of unhealthy behaviours. Currently, the most effective way to promote behaviour change through school programs, policies, and environments is not yet known. Purpose: To effectively improve obesity-related health behaviours and facilitate knowledge exchange within schools by (1) monitoring temporal changes in activity, eating, and sedentary behaviours, (2) determining the association between school policies, programs, and built/food environments and health behaviours, and (3) connecting schools with appropriate resources to improve programs, policies, and environments. Methods: COMPASS is a longitudinal study tracking w25,000 students in grades 9-12 in 55 Ontario secondary schools over four years. Annual classroom-based surveys will gather information on obesity-related behaviours, weight status, and correlates. School administration will complete a questionnaire related to healthpromoting policies and programs, and COMPASS staff will collect information on the school environment (facilities for eating and activity). Knowledge exchange tools will be used to provide schools with school-specific feedback reports regarding student behaviours, recommendations on how to take action in the school environment, and connections to local health organizations to assist in development of programs and policies to promote and support healthy lifestyles. Results: Baseline data for COMPASS are currently being collected (2012/2013). This presentation will provide detail on the specific methodology and knowledge exchange opportunities in COMPASS, and provide baseline prevalence data on obesity and related behaviours. Conclusions: By working directly with schools and monitoring youth health behaviours over time, COMPASS can assist in guiding schools to provide the healthiest possible environments to promote health behaviours and reduce obesity among the student population in Ontario.
535-OR Positive Mental Health in The School Setting: A Foundation for Obesity Prevention and Management KATHERINE KELLY Joint Consortium for School Health, Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada Recent research cites the importance of moving mental health beyond a problem-focused, interventionist approach to one that is more pro-active and prevention-oriented, also known as “Positive Mental Health” (PMH). PMH is the general recognition that
psychological well-being is not only influenced by the absence of problems, disease or mental illness, but is also impacted by the existence of factors present within individuals and their social settings that contribute to positive growth and development. Recognizing the many links between mental health and obesity prevention and management, and with its continued commitment to comprehensive, multi-faceted approaches to promoting school health, the JCSH has developed a number of PMH resources. Among the numerous benefits associated with the promotion of PMH in the school setting are students’ increased involvement in structured and unstructured physical activities, as well as an improved understanding of the “stages of change” that are critical to initiating, implementing and maintaining new behaviours. The JCSH has worked with researchers W. Morrison & Associates Inc. to develop a number of PMH resources, most recently, the “JCSH Positive Mental Health Toolkit” e an interactive e-book which includes actionable messages and practical approaches to assist administrators, educators, students and the school community in promoting PMH.The Consortium’s work reflects the latest research- and practice-based evidence gained from reviews by research partners and health and education ministries across the country e the cross-sector partnership for which the JCSH is known. This evidence and resource base contributes to the promotion of climates and conditions which are conducive to improved health behaviours, including obesity prevention and management.
536-OR Public Health Analytics: A Visual Aid to Interpret the EvidenceBase of Proven Actions on Obesity in the Context of What Needs to be Achieved by Policy RONALD WALL, CHRISTINA BANCEJ, HOWARD MORRISON, CLAUDE NADEAU, KEIKO ASAKAWA, WILLIAM FLANAGAN Social Determinants & Science Integration Directorate, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada A recent joint Statistics Canada-Public Health Agency of Canada initiative enhanced the proven POpulation HEalth Model (POHEM) to better simulate the dynamics of body mass index (BMI). Whereas POHEM-BMI generates rich information on projected patterns of BMI, chronic diseases, health outcomes, and health-care costs, such “desktop” tools are rarely used by decision-makers to assess policy options. A concise translation of the decision-space defined by these simulations, however, provides a visual aid for positioning the evidence-base of proven actions (what can be achieved) in the context of what needs to be achieved. We constructed the decisionspace from the parameter-ranges that specify intervention: reduction in mean BMI (efficacy x population uptake; 0% to 100%; duration), target cohort (age-sex grouping, youth, adult, all), and policy-horizon (years). Applying these scenarios to POHEM-BMI generates alternative patterns of disease, outcomes, and costs summarized as proportional change from the status quo. Using this aid, the evidence-base is translated into projected lifecourse health-gains and cost-savings for comparison against the expectations of policy. This aid focuses the attention of decision-makers on: intervention- where the reducing childhood BMI requires maintenance during adulthood to achieve meaningful gains and savings; demographics- where the impact of population-based action is driven by middle-aged adults and the effect of reducing childhood BMI is diluted over time by the overarching aging of the population; time- where immediate gains and savings from reducing childhood obesity are offset by the impact of future patterns of disease, disability, and mortality experienced by the survivors.
Abstracts / Can J Diabetes 37 (2013) S217eS289
been implemented extensively in Ontario at the individual school or school board level and it is currently ‘under the radar’ with respect to its impact on the school food environment. The potential public health impact of this policy change will be presented with recommendations for future research to determine its benefits and risks.
534-OR The COMPASS Study: A New Cohort Study Examining How Changes in School Policies, Programs, and The Built Environment are Associated With Obesity and Correlates of Obesity Among Students Over Time RACHEL LAXER, SCOTT T. LEATHERDALE University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Background: The school environment may impact obesity by influencing the development of unhealthy behaviours. Currently, the most effective way to promote behaviour change through school programs, policies, and environments is not yet known. Purpose: To effectively improve obesity-related health behaviours and facilitate knowledge exchange within schools by (1) monitoring temporal changes in activity, eating, and sedentary behaviours, (2) determining the association between school policies, programs, and built/food environments and health behaviours, and (3) connecting schools with appropriate resources to improve programs, policies, and environments. Methods: COMPASS is a longitudinal study tracking w25,000 students in grades 9-12 in 55 Ontario secondary schools over four years. Annual classroom-based surveys will gather information on obesity-related behaviours, weight status, and correlates. School administration will complete a questionnaire related to healthpromoting policies and programs, and COMPASS staff will collect information on the school environment (facilities for eating and activity). Knowledge exchange tools will be used to provide schools with school-specific feedback reports regarding student behaviours, recommendations on how to take action in the school environment, and connections to local health organizations to assist in development of programs and policies to promote and support healthy lifestyles. Results: Baseline data for COMPASS are currently being collected (2012/2013). This presentation will provide detail on the specific methodology and knowledge exchange opportunities in COMPASS, and provide baseline prevalence data on obesity and related behaviours. Conclusions: By working directly with schools and monitoring youth health behaviours over time, COMPASS can assist in guiding schools to provide the healthiest possible environments to promote health behaviours and reduce obesity among the student population in Ontario.
535-OR Positive Mental Health in The School Setting: A Foundation for Obesity Prevention and Management KATHERINE KELLY Joint Consortium for School Health, Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada Recent research cites the importance of moving mental health beyond a problem-focused, interventionist approach to one that is more pro-active and prevention-oriented, also known as “Positive Mental Health” (PMH). PMH is the general recognition that
psychological well-being is not only influenced by the absence of problems, disease or mental illness, but is also impacted by the existence of factors present within individuals and their social settings that contribute to positive growth and development. Recognizing the many links between mental health and obesity prevention and management, and with its continued commitment to comprehensive, multi-faceted approaches to promoting school health, the JCSH has developed a number of PMH resources. Among the numerous benefits associated with the promotion of PMH in the school setting are students’ increased involvement in structured and unstructured physical activities, as well as an improved understanding of the “stages of change” that are critical to initiating, implementing and maintaining new behaviours. The JCSH has worked with researchers W. Morrison & Associates Inc. to develop a number of PMH resources, most recently, the “JCSH Positive Mental Health Toolkit” e an interactive e-book which includes actionable messages and practical approaches to assist administrators, educators, students and the school community in promoting PMH.The Consortium’s work reflects the latest research- and practice-based evidence gained from reviews by research partners and health and education ministries across the country e the cross-sector partnership for which the JCSH is known. This evidence and resource base contributes to the promotion of climates and conditions which are conducive to improved health behaviours, including obesity prevention and management.
536-OR Public Health Analytics: A Visual Aid to Interpret the EvidenceBase of Proven Actions on Obesity in the Context of What Needs to be Achieved by Policy RONALD WALL, CHRISTINA BANCEJ, HOWARD MORRISON, CLAUDE NADEAU, KEIKO ASAKAWA, WILLIAM FLANAGAN Social Determinants & Science Integration Directorate, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada A recent joint Statistics Canada-Public Health Agency of Canada initiative enhanced the proven POpulation HEalth Model (POHEM) to better simulate the dynamics of body mass index (BMI). Whereas POHEM-BMI generates rich information on projected patterns of BMI, chronic diseases, health outcomes, and health-care costs, such “desktop” tools are rarely used by decision-makers to assess policy options. A concise translation of the decision-space defined by these simulations, however, provides a visual aid for positioning the evidence-base of proven actions (what can be achieved) in the context of what needs to be achieved. We constructed the decisionspace from the parameter-ranges that specify intervention: reduction in mean BMI (efficacy x population uptake; 0% to 100%; duration), target cohort (age-sex grouping, youth, adult, all), and policy-horizon (years). Applying these scenarios to POHEM-BMI generates alternative patterns of disease, outcomes, and costs summarized as proportional change from the status quo. Using this aid, the evidence-base is translated into projected lifecourse health-gains and cost-savings for comparison against the expectations of policy. This aid focuses the attention of decision-makers on: intervention- where the reducing childhood BMI requires maintenance during adulthood to achieve meaningful gains and savings; demographics- where the impact of population-based action is driven by middle-aged adults and the effect of reducing childhood BMI is diluted over time by the overarching aging of the population; time- where immediate gains and savings from reducing childhood obesity are offset by the impact of future patterns of disease, disability, and mortality experienced by the survivors.