Rationale
Action Schools! BC is a response to concerns about children’s health. Results of the 2000/2001 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) indicate 50% of British Columbian youth aged 12-19 and 46% of adults aged 20+ are physically inactive (CFLRI, 2002). The cost of physical inactivity in British Columbia has recently been estimated at $573 million per year for the population aged 12 and over (Ministry of Health Planning, 2004).
In Canada, only 23.3% of youth aged 2-17 years eat 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruit per day as recommended by Canada’s Food Guide (CCHS, 2005).
Action Schools! BC is part of ActNow BC, and contributes to the provincial government’s goal of making British Columbia the healthiest jurisdiction to ever host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Action Schools! BC supports individuals and communities in protecting and improving their health by contributing to the achievement of the Ministry of Health’s goals to increase by 20% British Columbia’s population who are physically active, and to increase by 20% British Columbia’s population who eat the recommended daily servings of vegetables and fruit.
