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POLITICS OF NUTRITION
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Lecture 11- 26 Jan 2011   Today
Provincial/Local Politics of Nutrition
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Nutrition for Health-The Nova Scotia Agenda for
Action Nova Scotians are meeting daily nutrient
intake requirements BUT   -higher risk of cancer
and atherosclerosis-is this Cape Bretons
fault?   -great percentage are overweight (44
)   - 80 of population derived more than 30
of dietary energy from fat
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-24 of young women (18-24) of low or normal
body weight are trying to lose weight   -62 of
mothers breastfeed compared to 75 national
average
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In 1995 Nova Scotians participating in this
agenda for action decided to       reinforce
healthy eating patterns         support
nutritionally vulnerable populations  
continue to enhance the availability of foods
that support healthy eating          support
nutrition research
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There are 8 actions directed toward these 4
strategic directions   1) reinforce healthy
eating patterns   -work to make nutrition
services a part of everyday community-based
health services   -work to make quality
nutrition education and quality daily physical
activity part of school programmes    
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1) reinforce healthy eating patterns -work with
the media to ensure that the public receives
responsible information on healthy eating and
physical activity -work to protect and promote
breast feeding influencing public and hospital
policy and support breast feeding in Nova
Scotias communities
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2)support nutritionally vulnerable
populations   -work with social policy decision
makers to address the nutritional needs of
vulnerable people   -work to provide families
with the support they need to feed their children
healthy foods
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3)continue to enhance the availability of foods
that support healthy eating   work with
restaurants, cafeterias, and other places where
people eat to make more healthy food choices
available
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4)support nutrition research   work to develop a
data base of the factors or indicators which
affect nutritional status and food practices,
including social, economic, cultural and
educational data
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Goal To improve the health of Nova Scotians
through coordinated ongoing action Based on the
principles of Partnerships Networking Sust
ained action Sharing and Learning
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What is being done locally ? Dietitians Objective
All staff able to integrate healthy eating
messages into the work with the public and into
their own lifestyles by   Providing staff with
nutrition-healthy eating updates   Continuing to
encourage all public health staff to integrate
healthy eating messages throughout all programme
areas
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Provincial vs Local politics   Lobster-Burnt
Church-Conflict   Mikmaq want to govern
themselves regarding lobster stocks   Ottawa
and New Brunswick disagree  
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RCMP have engaged in armed conflict   Provincial
fishery officers have gathered evidence   What
is the solution to this?  
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English-Wabigoon river in Ontario and
mercury   The Whitedog reserve is located in
Northwestern Ontario in the Dryden and Kenora
area. In 1970 residents of the Whitedog First
Nation and the nearby Grassy Narrows First
Nation, were told that the English-Wabigoon river
system on which they lived was seriously
contaminated with mercury. The source of this
contamination was the Reed Paper Company,
situated in Dryden, some 90 kilometers away.
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Several members of the band suffered permanent
disabilities due to mercury poisoning. The
situation also led to the closure of the Ball
Lake Lodge with the loss of about 100 jobs for
the community and the closure of the commercial
fishery with the loss of over 30 jobs.
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Mercury is a toxic substance affecting the
central nervous system and symptoms include
numbness of the extremities, difficulty in hand
movements and in grasping things, lack of
coordination, tremors and speech, sight and
hearing disturbances.  
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At the Whitedog First Nation there are still
severe restrictions on fishing for both native
anglers and tourists and these restrictions are
likely to continue for several decades.
Unemployment on the reserve runs at about 80 and
significant social problems have also resulted.