Healthy Candidate

Monday, 2 June 2014 05:48

Heart & Stroke Foundation want provincial candidates to focus on improving health of Ontarians.

WOODSTOCK -- The Heart and Stroke Foundation wants voters to make their voices heard in the ongoing provincial election.

Christine Hurtado, Health Promotions Specialist with the Heart and Stroke Foundation says her group is looking for a "Healthy Candidate" to sign on to their pledge from all parties in each provincial riding.

Hurtado says a "Healthy Candidate" is someone running who pledges to support health promotion and a better, more healthy Ontario...

"We know that almost thirty percent of our children and youth are overweight or obese and that will lead to some chronic diseases later in life and we want a "Healthy Candidate" to prevent that."

Hurtado says 46 per cent of the province's current budget goes toward health care, much of which she says goes to treat health problems related to chronic, yet preventable diseases.

Heart and Stroke is encouraging voters to challenge their local candidates to sign on to becoming a Healthy Candidate.

Hurtado says childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years and children who are overweight or obese, are often at risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Hurtado says candidates from all parties are being asked to make a pledge that if elected, they'll become a "Healthy Candidate," -- that means pledging to restrict the marketing of all food and beverages to children under 13 years of age, promoting schools as a centre for health and adding calorie counts to all menus.

"Forty-six percent of the current budget in Ontario is for Health Care, much of that going to treat chronic preventable diseases. We know that heart disease and stroke is

Being a Healthy Candidate also means saying yes to a number of tobacco control policy recommendations from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, like increased contraband education, and the banning of all candy and fruit flavoured tobacco products.

To learn more about who's pledging to become a "Healthy Candidate" for Oxford County, visit the Heart and Stroke Foundation's web site: http://www.healthycandidates.ca/#!