Cash for obesity study
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Updated: October 30, 2009 2:40 PM
The City of Abbotsford has been selected as one of two cities in B.C. that will receive funding to conduct a study into childhood obesity.
The city will receive $150,000 over the next three years, from the Provincial Health Services Authority, to pay for the initiative.
According to the city, it will be aimed at “developing an outcome-oriented plan to significantly reduce childhood obesity.”
Included in the study will be a community assessment, and a plan to develop partnerships with health professionals, teachers, restaurants, local producers and retailers to “promote the creation of environments that empower children to adopt healthier lifestyles.”
Prince George is the only other B.C. city to have secured money for the project, which has been provided on the back of a statistic that suggests one in every four Canadian children is either overweight or obese.
The study will be conducted by Healthy Abbotsford, which will commit $15,000 towards the initiative.
Healthy Abbotsford – an organization that includes community members, the City of Abbotsford, Fraser Health and School District 34 – has a mandate to promote active lifestyles and healthy eating.
