@heart Newsletter / Vol. 1, No. 4 Fall, 1998
- Community Perspective on Heart Health Program Planning
- @Hamilton-Wentworth
- @Niagara
- @Northwestern Ontario - Heart Health Program Planning Workbook
- Comprehensive Heart Health Program Planning Workshop - Program Planning
- Lessons learned...
- When planning you annual event...
- Planning is serious business... - 1998 HSFO Programs Appropriate for Heart Health Projects
- From the Health Promotion Branch - Planning for Nutrition Initiatives
- Planning for Tobacco Initiatives
- New Ministry of Health Funding - Planning for Physical Activity Initiatives
- OPHEA Heart Health Programs - Are you... Creating a Web Site?
- Are you... creating a video? ...display?
The focus of this issue of @heart
is on program planning. It is meant to assist specifically with the creation of the 4 year plans required of all of Ontario's Heart Health coalitions and, over the next several years, for the annual plans and those related to planning interventions. The stories, tips and resources that are featured here should be of use to many partners within each coalition so sharing the newsletter with others in the community is encouraged.
Don't You Love It When a Plan Comes Together!? ... Community Perspectives on Heart Health Planning
@ Hamilton-Wentworth - Do it well
When it comes to planning a heart health community initiative, it is -- in the words of Hamilton-Wentworth heart health co-ordinator Debra Clarke -- "important to realize that there's no one way to do it."
There are a number of models for community mobilization, but the one that most closely seemed to match the needs in Hamilton-Wentworth was called Community Organization Principles in Health Promotion, based on work by Neil Bracht and Lee Kingsbury. "This was the planning process which we loosely followed, but we remained flexible to capitalize on opportunities as they came along," she explains.
The Bracht-Kingsbury model defines a five-stage process: community analysis; design and initiation; implementation; program maintenance and consolidation; and dissemination and reassessment. "We are still more or less in the second stage," Deb says. "We are working on structure, recruiting members including the public, clarifying roles and training."
Work on the current initiative started in late 1996. There was an existing group called the Hamilton-Wentworth Heart Health Network, but it was devoted mostly to information sharing and had not yet undertaken any major joint projects.
Before the news of the Ministry of Health's program to offer heart health program funding to all communities through their health units, the Hamilton-Wentworth Public Health Department and the Heart Health Network collaborated and organized a community forum that was held in February 1997. More than 70 people attended; the goals were to develop vision and mission statements and determine priorities on which to focus for activity.
"We had originally planned to have a vision by the end of the day, but it took longer than expected," Deb said. "We followed up with a half-day session in May to finish our tasks."
Interestingly, no mention of Ministry funding was made at these first sessions. "We wanted to get community buy-in from the beginning and felt the community had to have its say at the start," Deb explains. "The motivation (for communities) was purely what was important to them. By not dangling a funding carrot, we knew the motivation and commitment was there."
The initial meeting was widely publicized and attracted health care professionals and representatives of agencies working on any of the risk factors. Spaces were also reserved for the general public, and the Heart Health Network used all its links to draw community members.
"One of the things that's critical is to have the community involved as early as possible and as much as possible," Deb says, adding that training and support for community members is very important. That means, in most cases, repeating processes that other communities have experienced and learning similar lessons. "Knowing what others went through was important because I was able to say 'This is normal' when our group was getting frustrated or felt nothing was happening," she adds. "But they had to sort these things out for themselves."
In fact, Deb says one of the greatest challenges to progress are the differing agendas and biases that people may bring to a coalition -- a challenge that's outweighed, however, by the benefits. "It's so enjoyable working with people around things that are important to them and to you," she says.
But be prepared! It's not a process that happens overnight. "The thought that keeps hitting me is 'take your time, don't rush, but keep the momentum going.' You must have a flexible time frame and be sensitive to other people's agendas and needs."
Another important piece of advice, she says, is to involve community members in leadership positions as soon as possible. "It's a real strength to have a community member in the chair," she adds.
The coalition that has emerged -- known as Heart Health Hamiltion-Wentworth -- continues to place a high priority on ensuring that programs match real community needs. Work groups, each focusing on a different population, have chosen to assess the needs of those populations with a variety of ways, ranging from informal focus groups to rigorous questionnaires.
"Each method suits the unique aspects of the population being assessed," Deb explains. "There was a great deal of knowledge - and experience-sharing among the work group members, and everyone worked very hard to make this phase a success. As the results come in, they are all very keen to share them with each other."
As @heart goes to press, the Institute for Social Research at York University is implementing a Heart Health Awareness telephone survey of 600 Hamilton-Wentworth residents. It seeks to measure primary risk factors knowledge and asks residents how they most often access health information. The results will provide baseline data that will guide plans for a mass media campaign. The questionnaire is available through the Heart Health Resource Centre.
@ Niagara
Lessons learned years earlier paid off in 1998 when the Niagara Regional Health Department decided to apply for Ministry of Health funds to organize a heart health community initiative.
An unsuccessful applicant to be one of the Ontario Heart Health Program demonstration sites in 1989, the Niagara unit is technically a brand new site for heart health initiatives. "But there were pieces all over the place," explains Angela Alfieri-Maiolo, the region's heart health co-ordinator. "This time, we felt the need to invest the time up front to form partnerships.
"Our past experience showed that trying to do things right away doesn't work," she adds. "You need to have a framework for the future. It wasn't really a conscious decision, but people realized that it's important to build relationships and trust."
The regional health unit's approach this time was to work through its own contacts to identify potential community partners -- a "who knows who" approach, says Angela. "The traditional letter writing and followup telephone calls was perceived as not working," she added.
Using the personal approach resulted in an invitation list of about 80 people, and 65 attended a community forum in February 1997. These included representatives from health care, health associations, the education sector, fitness clubs, tobacco coalitions, parks and recreation -- in fact, just about everyone who was or should have been doing heart health programming. That first session was devoted almost entirely to discussing heart health activities and bringing everyone up to date on what was happening across the region.
Only during the last part of the day did the forum begin talking about the future possibilities and building excitement for a regional heart health initiative. At the end of the day, a core group of about 15 people committed to begin writing a proposal to the Ministry of Health, Angela said.
Those who were not part of the core group were not forgotten. Everyone received an "options for involvement" sheet on which they expressed their preferences for participating in heart health. "We left those people alone for almost a year, just sending them regular updates but not trying to involve them. Then, once we were funded, we contacted them and said "Now we're ready and we need your help," Angela continued.
With the information from the volunteer's sheets, the core group was able to form committees that assigned people to the tasks they said they preferred. Two program committees focus on workplace heart health and heart health for low income families; supporting committees are management (including volunteer recruitment, development and recognition); public relations and communications; evaluation; and finance. "We are still at the point of getting our groups together," says Angela. "We haven't really worried about programs, because we know they are out there."
One challenge was to ensure that the community partners "didn't see this as a health department initiative." That was achieved by "giving the community the opportunities to decide how the program would run, keeping health unit staff members off the program committees, and having all but one of the committees chaired by community members (one committee is co-chaired by a community and health unit representative). "It also helps with sustainability to have community partners running the committees," Angela adds.
Perhaps the most significant barrier to success -- and one usually mentioned by other co-ordinators -- is time. "People are busy all the way around and it's 'How much time can I commit to this?'" Angela says. This puts an extra burden on the co-ordinator, who must "keep everyone on track and in tune with what's going on."
The demonstration sites, she adds, "really made a difference for us, because we were able to avoid many of the pitfalls."
The coalition staged a hugely successful launch in February '98, attracting coverage from the region's three daily newspapers, five television outlets and a host of other news media. Now, Angela notes, some of those who did not want to commit a year ago are coming on board as the regional coalition builds its credibility.
@ Northwestern Ontario
Take an area that sprawls from the Manitoba border east almost to Thunder Bay and from Lake Superior north toward Hudson Bay; scatter 13 municipalities across the region so that even "neighbouring" communities are 75 km. apart; then set about organizing a regional coalition that focuses everyone on a single objective.
That was the task facing the Northwestern Health Unit as it embarked on establishing a heart health program for Northwestern Ontario. And yet -- perhaps surprisingly -- distance has not been the greatest barrier the project has had to overcome.
According to project co-ordinator Phyllis Anderson, one of the most significant hurdles was that of forming a coalition that allowed individual communities to develop their own programs. The solution: a coalition of coalitions that allows each community to pursue its own activities while taking advantage of a regional network that shares resources.
"We started two or three years ago with our three largest communities -- Dryden, Kenora and Fort Frances -- and then moved out to other communities," Phyllis said. "Some had existing coalitions, while others needed to be established."
Right from the start, it was decided not to try for one big regional project. Instead, a co-ordinating committee was formed, comprising a representative from each community's coalition and its Health Unit staff member. "Nobody has the time to travel," Phyllis explained. "You just don't get representation from the community, and in turn you don't get buy-in if people feel their views aren't represented."
Another problem with the "one big region" approach would have been the mixture of new and existing coalitions. Those that had been operating for some time were moving into project activities, while some of the newer ones were still working on mission statements, visioning and partner recruitment.
By opting for a co-ordinating committee approach, the region has avoided these pitfalls and created a framework that allows each community to grow at its own pace. Each can respond to its own needs and is developing its own four-year plan, while remaining linked to the central co-ordinating body. "Everyone sees the benefit of the regional coalition," Phyllis says. "It avoids duplication and encourages the sharing of lessons learned at each site."
On the other hand, Northwestern's solution does impose additional strains on the Health Unit. "It's very time intensive," says Phyllis. "Even with a Health Unit staff member in each community, there must be a central point, and a lot of time is taken up with travel." This, she adds, was especially true in the early days, when she visited each community to facilitate the first meetings that established the project.
Now, the co-ordinating committee holds just two "on-site" meetings each year and carries on the coalition's business through monthly teleconferences.
"There are still tensions," says Phyllis. For example, the co-ordinating committee originally planned to distribute project funds based on the activities the coalitions were planning. This was later changed to a per capita allocation, and some groups still do not entirely accept that policy shift. "But the group as a whole supports the concept," she adds.
At the local coalition level, work is progressing on many fronts to address the key heart health risk factors -- nutrition, smoking and physical activity. Dryden's coalition has completed a community needs survey and has launched nutrition projects that encompass restaurants, high schools and grocery stores; it also held a heart healthy families physical activity project in June. Kenora is focusing on worksites, while Fort Frances has developed a physical activity bingo.
In Rainy River, one of the new heart health sites, the local Health Communities Coalition is taking on the heart health challenge, while in Atikokan, two existing coalitions working on nutrition and tobacco issues have united to form a broader heart health coalition.
There is also sharing taking part across the region. For example, the nutritionist who set up the heart smart cooking project in Dryden is now being retained to do similar work in Kenora -- an outcome which Phyllis doubts would have happened without the monthly teleconferences.
Heart Health Program Planning Workbook
Let your fingers do the walking ...
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Don't forget to check out these helpful worksheets: |
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STEP 1 |
TAKING STOCK |
1-1 Stakeholders Assessment 1-5 PEST and SWOT Analysis |
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STEP 2 |
SETTING DIRECTION |
2-1 Goals 2-3 Blank Logic Model |
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STEP 3 |
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3-2 Assessing Individual Programs 3-3 Reviewing a Package of Programs |
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STEP 4 |
IMPLEMENTATION |
4-1 Work Group Checklist 4-4 Implementation Checklist |
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STEP 5 |
PLANNING FOR EVALUATION |
5-2 Creating Measurable Outcome Objectives and Indicators 5-3 Creating Program Outcomes and Process Indicators |
1. Created by Donna Mitchell
Comprehensive Heart Health Program Planning Workshop
June 22 and 23, 1998 saw almost every Heart Health coalition in the province represented at the Comprehensive Heart Health Program Planning Workshop held at Oakham House in Toronto. What an impressive group of volunteers, community partners and staff!
"As a non-MOH person, but member of a community coalition steering committee, I found this process extremely useful, not only for the heart health program, but I will be able to apply much of it in my own job."
Nancy Dubois led the group through two jam-packed days of work building directly on the Program Planning workbook created by Donna Mitchell. Many thanks to these two individuals as well as Larry Hershfield and ALCAP Community Facilitators Margaret Good, Anne Ostrom and Linda Whitfield for their assistance in delivering the session.
"I'm going home with what I need for a reasonable cost."
Most of all, thanks to the participants for their hard work during the workshop. The enthusiasm of the group and the networking that occurred were, based on the feedback, very valuable as well. Of particular interest to delegates were the many resources available in the "library" - the examples of programs from partners and "good practices". Thanks to Audrey Birenbaum for coordinating this collection.
"Resource package is very comprehensive."
Information regarding local Heart Health capacities, facilitators and barriers
CHHIOP - the Canadian Heart Health Initiative: Ontario Project - has been forwarding regular reports to each Health Unit in Ontario with LOCAL RESULTS of their community Heart Health research. If they can't be located at the Health Unit, contact:
Rosemary Walker
Health Behaviour Research Group
University of Waterloo
519-888-4567 ext. 12924
e-mail: walker@healthy.uwaterloo.ca
http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/-hbr/chhiop/chhiop.html
Lessons Learned from the Ontario Heart Health Action Program
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LESSON |
Include a mix of leading and supporting interventions. |
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Introduce activities incrementally, moving from awareness to behaviour change, and involving new partners and channels of delivery. |
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Full implementation of comprehensive Heart Health programs using a community development approach takes longer than 5 years. |
Check out these heart health programs...
- Community Television Programming Kit
- Heart Health Lifestyle Clinic Resource Kit
- Waling Club Package
- Community Kitchens Video
Contact:
Ms. Eva Laing, Coordinator
Newfoundland & Labrador
Heart Health Program
PO Box 8700
St. John's, NF A1B 4J6
Ph: (709) 729-3939
Fax: (709) 729-5824
e-mail: elaing@health.gov.nf.ca
[Contents]
When planning your annual events, consider these common themes:
1999 - International year of the older person, United Nations Association in Canada (613) 232-5751
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General |
February April
April 22
May
June
October
November |
Heart Month (HSFO) Cancer Month (CCS) World Health Day Earth Day National Volunteer Week Earth Week National Sun Awareness Week Canadian Health Day Nurses Week International Day of Families Stroke Month (HSFO) Seniors Month World Environmental Day National Family Week National School Safety Week Small Business Week National Crime Prevention Week National Heart Health Week National Seniors Safety Week National Child Day CPR Awareness Month (HSFO) |
(416) 489-7100 local office (613) 241-5785 (416) 599-1991 (819) 994-9520 (416) 599-1991 (613) 730-6262
(613) 725-3769 (613) 237-2133 (613) 232-5751 (416) 489-7100 (613) 952-7606 (613) 232-5751 (613) 722-9006 (613) 739-1535 (514) 283-5611 local police force (613) 723-4444 (613) 739-1535 (613) 952-1220 (416) 489-7100 |
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Nutrition |
March October |
National Nutrition Month Dietitians of Canada World Food Day |
(416) 596-0857 (613) 232-5751 |
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Physical Activity |
May/June July September |
SummerActive Parks Day Terry Fox Run The Bay HSFO Walk for Our Mothers & Daughters Hiking Week (Hike Ontario) |
(419) 954-1212 (819) 994-9520 (416) 924-8252 (416) 489-7100 (416) 426-7391 |
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Tobacco Use Reduction |
January May 31 |
National Non-Smoking Week (Weedless Wednesday) World No Tobacco Day |
local Health Unit or Council for Tobacco-free Ontario |
[Contents]
Program Planning is serious business but let's not lose our sense of humour in the process...
"Ah for the days of ... If you build it, they will come." "Now the mantra goes something like this ... If you build it, and conduct focus groups, and incorporate the group's suggestions, and price it $1.50 above cost, and box it in recycled containers, they MIGHT come."
Rick Tetzeli Fortune, Autumn/Winter 1993
"To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first, and call whatever you hit, the target."
Ontario's Heart Health Program has several provincial partners. Profiled here are the programs and supports available through the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and how one might integrate them over time.
Programs highlighted here have:
. been evaluated and tested to achieve results
. been identified to meet the needs of the target audience through extensive market research
. been determined to fit with the mission and goals of the Heart Health Program
. a network of experts available to supply program/implementation advice
. the potential to be incorporated into the community and sustained
. the ability to be incorporated into a sequence of approaches - awareness, education/skill building, environmental support + policy
. the ability to build synergy
Ideas on Sequencing HSFO Programs
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Year |
Approach |
Program |
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1 |
Awareness-Raising |
Women, Heart Disease and Stroke Social Marketing Campaign |
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2 |
Education and Skill Building |
WHDS Lunch 'N Learn and Symposia Provide classes Train peer leaders |
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3 |
Environmental Support |
Educate Health Care Providers, Provide opportunities for things like active transportation, heart healthy restaurants and smoke-free public spaces. |
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4 |
Sustainability |
Extend reach/diffusion Secure local champions |
1998 HSFO Programs Appropriate for Heart Health Projects*
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Program |
Target Audience |
Channel |
Approach and Risk Factor(s) |
Program Components |
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Heart Healthy Kids
HeartSmart Family Fun Pack
Women Heart Disease & Stroke (WHDS) Social Marketing Campaign
WHDS symposia and awareness events
WHDS Lunch n Learn
HeartSmart Cooking Course |
6 - 12 year olds
families with children aged 6-12 years
women
women
women
adults |
.school sites
.school sites
. TV
.community at large
.community at large
.community at large |
.awareness and education .skills & strategies to adopt heart healthy lifestyles at home .awareness
.awareness and education
.awareness and education
.education |
Binder with coloured overheads, slides and speakers notes. Grades K - 8 HeartSmart Family Fun Pack
26 week TV campaign. For more information, please see your June 1998 HHRC mailing or call (416) 489-7111 x 400.
Kits containing slides and speakers notes.
Kit containing video, facilitator's guide and samples of handouts.
Binder containing course modules. |
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For more info, contact: |
Visit the web-sites: http://www.hsf.ca/ (general) |
Heart and Stroke Healthline: 1-888-HSF-INFO |
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From the Health Promotion Branch
Financial and Narrative Reports
Congratulations to everyone for completing over 10 months of the Heart Health Program! We have received all the final 3-month reports and are very pleased with the progression of the local heart health activities. We look forward to seeing the projects grow over the next 5 years.
Based on comments received on the financial and narrative reports, we are looking at the possibility of simplifying the in-kind contribution reporting requirements. All sites will be contacted if any changes arise from our discussions.
As you know, the four-year plans are due on February 15, 1999. Information must be received on the Activity Plan form as outlined in the original Application Guidelines. This format includes:
- Provincial and local objectives
- Title and brief description of activities
- Projected community involvement
- Audience/intended reach
- Monitoring/evaluation activities
- Resource allocation
- Approach
- Timing
- Sites
- Projected results
- Risk factor
If you are planning to use the logic model outlined in the recent heart health workshops hosted by the Heart Health Resource Centre, please feel free to include this information as well. If you have any questions about the 4-year plan, please do not hesitate to contact the Health Promotion Branch.
Provincial Partners Advisory Committee
The Heart Health Provincial Partners Advisory Committee met for a third time on June 19, 1998. During this meeting, the group went though a joint planning process to determine their role in the Heart Health Program, priorities for the future and how they can help heart health progress at a provincial level.
Representation includes provincial-wide organizations such as:
. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario
. Canadian Cancer Society
. Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse
. Program Training and Consultation Centre
. Heart Health Resource Centre
. Centre for Health Promotion
. Ontario Physical and Health Education Association
. Council for a Tobacco-free Ontario
. The Ontario Heart Health Network
. Ontario Lung Association
We are also very pleased with the representation from local heart health partnerships. Thank you to the Heart Health Network for nominating representatives and to the Peel Health Unit and the Northwestern Health Unit for agreeing to sit on this committee and providing the group with a local perspective.
Planning for Nutrition Initiatives
Food Access Program Start-up Manuals
Thanks to funding from the Ministry of Health's Health Promotion Branch, FoodShare Toronto has been able to develop two how-to manuals: The Good Food Box Guide and How Does Our Garden Grow Community Gardening Manual.
The Good Food Box is a non-profit fresh fruit and vegetable distribution system operated by FoodShare in Toronto. The Guide is designed to provide direction to groups who would like to use this model to improve food access in their area in a way that also encourages community development, promotes improved nutrition and supports the local agricultural economy. The history and philosophy of the programs are covered, as are logistics, including staff and administration, marketing, fundraising, equipment, etc. Case studies of other communities in Ontario that have adapted The Good Food Box to meet their local needs are also included.
How Does Our Garden Grow is a comprehensive guide to community gardening, based on a report from Ontario's many successful gardens and a comprehensive review of existing resources. This manual covers the organizational and horticultural aspects of community gardening: from pulling a group together to leadership dynamics to designing and finding a site. Practical resources on plant characteristics, transplanting, companion planting and many other topics can be used as a reference year after year.
During the past year, free copies have been distributed to public health units, district health councils and community food advisor programs across Ontario. Others can purchase copies for $25 each from FoodShare by calling (416) 392-6653, faxing (416) 392-6650, or e-mailing: fdshare@web.net
Canadian Living Foundation
Consider connecting with local breakfast programs and/or Community Partner Programs in your area. All across Ontario, programs funded by Breakfast for Learning are helping to ensure that all Canadian children go to school well nourished and ready to learn. Perhaps complement existing programs by adding a physical activity component or assisting the breakfast program volunteers by providing some nutrition education. There are many ways that you could partner. That's what partnership is all about - working together to make a difference!
Paula Thomlison, Ontario Coordinator
Breakfast for Learning
Canadian Living Foundation
1-800-627-7922 or (416) 218-3540
An Overview of Provincial Nutrition Programs
Planned in partnership with non-governmental organizations, local boards of health and other ministries, provincial nutrition programs address a range of health promotion approaches (awareness, skill-building, self-help and environmental support). These programs are also consistent with the Mandatory Health Programs and Services Guidelines. Consider the following programs and resources as part of a sequence of interventions in order to reach all segments of the population.
Awareness
Campaigns are effective at increasing awareness, knowledge, motivation and encouraging the public to seek additional information about a given health issue. Awareness campaigns are most effective when used in conjunction with other behavioural approaches (e.g. self-help materials, contests and challenges, which encourage people to initiate a new behaviour). Building on a provincial campaign offers a number of benefits to local agencies, community groups and volunteers, including increased visibility, improved media receptivity and a reduction in material costs at the local level.
. Nutrition Month Campaign
The 1999 theme will focus on the older person and on the importance of healthy eating for healthy aging. Ready-to-use materials such as fact sheets and promotional materials will help increase awareness and knowledge of key messages. Program activities such as contest ideas will assist local groups in implementing effective interventions through multiple channels to help motivate people to initiate changes to their eating habits. Contact Lise Smedmor, Dietitians of Canada @ (519) 855-9892.
Education/Skill-Building
The Healthy Eating Program facilitates the effective use of an adult group education resource to promote healthy food choices, in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society, (Ontario Division), the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, local boards of health and the Ontario Public Health Association. The program includes the Healthy Eating Manual, a bi-annual newsletter, a list of trainers/consultants/ facilitators participating in the program, payroll inserts, posters, training and other supports. This program can reach people through multiple channels such as workplaces, grocery stores and the community-at-large. Contact Laura Pasut, Program Coordinator @ (705) 725-0221.
Self-Help
Current programs are primarily designed for individuals who are ready to change, and are therefore not suitable for the majority of the population. Self-help materials that are matched to a personis stage of readiness provide a cost-effective approach to reaching the entire population, especially those who are inactive or have poor eating habits, and encourage them to start making changes in a gradual manner and to maintain them.
. Food Steps
A self-help correspondence healthy eating program to reduce dietary fat intake in adults is being developed by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, in partnership with selected boards of heatlh, the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. The program includes a series of self-help guides for men and women, and a community leaderis guide to assist with local program delivery. Food Steps can be implemented on a community-wide basis, as part of a healthy eating campaign, or can be aimed at workplace employees at different stages of readiness for change. Materials will be available in both English and French. A Fall 1998 program launch is planned. Please contact Neil MacKenzie, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit @ (519) 258-2146 ext. 263.
Environmental Support
To complement awareness, skill-building and self-help interventions that address unhealthy eating and tobacco use, make the Provincial Food Service Program a part of your plan. A provincial program to promote healthy eating, food safety and reduce exposure to second-hand smoke is being developed by Toronto Public Health and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. Planned with a multidisciplinary advisory group, with representatives from public health nutrition and inspection, the Ministry of Health, selected public health units and the Heart Health Resource Centre, the program will support volunteers and public health units to implement effective programs in local food service establishments. A schedule of program components to be produced will be publicized in the Fall of 1998. For more information, please contact Lesly Macaskill, Toronto Public Health @ (416) 395-7651.
Planning for Tobacco Initiatives
Community Education Campaigns to Support the Ontario Tobacco Strategy
A collaborative partnership of the program Training and Consultation Centre, Council for a Tobacco-Free Ontario and The Health Communication Unit has been granted project funding to support communities in planning and implementing media-based community education campaigns. We are in the midst of developing a catalogue of media resource collected from successful provincial and national campaigns. As well, a campaign planner will be made available which will highlight several community stories and steps to designing an effective campaign. In 1999, a series of skill building workshops will be offered with an open invitation to all involved in tobacco use reduction.
Overall of the total project funds will to local tobacco-free councils through a 'Request for applications for Funds' process. Councils will send in proposals at the end of September and be starting their campaigns January 1999 with some running in a second time period of November 1999 to January 2000.
These campaigns have the potential to affect the climate of public opinion, target many different groups, and achieve broad reach. They in turn could complement and/or enhance Heart Health messages.
"Comprehensive strategies are characterized by the delivery of persistent and inescapable messages to quit, or to not start, smoking, coupled with continuously available support for individual cessation effort provided through multiple channels, and reinforced by environmental supports for nonsmokers" (US Surgeon General's Report 1991)
For community awareness campaigns to be effective, they must provide messages that are "persistent an inescapable". Find out what your local councils are up to and created a greater impact on the community at large by drawing upon each other' s efforts.
For more information contact Janet Nevala, Coordinator, PTCC at 1-800-363-7820.
[Contents]
New Ministry of Health Funding
Funding has recently been awarded to several projects that promote heart health. Funding has been provide over two years to the Health Behaviour Research Group at the University of Waterloo to develop and test a model for a toll-free quit Smoking Telephone Support service.
The Ontario Tobacco Research Unit in Toronto received funding to assess the current level of community-based support for smoking cessation; to develop and maintain a database to monitor Ontario's enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act; and to produce and distribute publications that support communities in preventing and curbing tobacco use.
COMMIT to Healthier Brant in Brantford received funding to help disseminate smoking prevention and cessation resources to public health units, voluntary health agencies and community organization.
Planning for Physical Activity Initiatives
Walk This Way! A Guide To Stick To It!
A self-help walking guide for women aged 20-64 who are in the preparation stage (i.e. those who exercise some, but not regularly) has been developed y the Halton Regional Health Department and the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Public Health Department. This guide will be revised, based on local evaluation results and adapted for provincial dissemination, with input from public health, NGOs, academia and recreation. A community leader's guide will also be produced. Program materials are expected to be complete in January 1999. Please contact Carla Hanna, Halton Regional Health Department @ (905) 825-6060 ext. 7499.
Active Schools
A three-year initiative coordinated by the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (OPHEA) is designed to increase participation levels of children and youth in physical activity. The initiative will support schools and their community with the cooperation of key provincial partners from education, health, recreation, academia and non-governmental sectors. It is anticipated that existing programs such as OPHEA's Royal Bank Active8 and the Quality Daily Physical Education program, initiatives of the Canadian Intramural Recreation Association (CIRA) and the Canadian Association of Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance (CAPHERD) will be further disseminated in a coordinated manner. Contact Dawn MacDonald, OPHEA @ (416) 426-7124.
in '99.
Small Steps
The new PILOT program designed to make individuals more physically active is based on the Trans Theoretical Behaviour Change model. Participants were categorized in the Preparation and Action stages and further divided into study and control for each stage. Final evaluation will be conducted in August and roll out is expected in Spring 1999.
Plan now for Summer Active! '99
Funding for this seasonal provincial initiative has been confirmed. For more information, contact Nanci Colbeck, ParticipACTION (416) 954-1212.
Interested in a workshop or presentation with your community partners on how to make best use of Canada's Guide to Healthy Physical Activity?
Contact your regional ALCAP Community Facilitator for details.
Southern Ontario: Nancy Dubois (519) 446-36363
Greater Toronto Area: Margaret Good (905) 898-4382
Northwestern Ontario: Anne Ostrom (705) 473-9179
Eastern Ontario: Linda Whitfield (613) 542-5163
OPHEA...
Another provincial partner of the Heart Health Program, offers the following to assist with Heart Health activities:
Active Kids - Anytime, Anyplace
Sometimes organizing and implementing physical activities for kids can be ... well, limiting. That's because as a teacher, community organizers, care-giver or parks and recreation leader, you may not always have access to a gymnasium or other facility. Active Kids can help. Active Kids includes a 37-minute video, a 60-minute audio tape, as well as a teacher/instructor guide. Together thy provide practical information, including activity examples and descriptions, motivational music and instructions on how to develop and implement activities for children age 5 to 14 in limited space settings - anytime, anyplace! Active Kids can help you make active living fun, easy and a part of daily life for children and youth.
Movability
Get Children moving toward active living- with Movability! Movability is a program for young children age three months to five years. It encourages kids to move in many ways, at various speeds and in different directions, resulting in improved gross motor skills. An easy-to-use Teacher/Instructor Binder is chock full of valuable information, tips and ideas. Activity plans are divided into three motor development categories, and each is associated with a fun mascot - a Panda Bear named Movit. Movability also includes Movit poster and a set of 60 Movit Stickers.
Royal Bank Active 8
Royal Bank Active 8 is a simple and FREE program that makes physical activity fun for all students regardless of athletic ability. The program offers the unique opportunity to integrate curriculum, community and an optional healthy fund raising program for schools.
Royal Bank Active 8 complements and supports existing school curriculum, and will help students achieve learning expectations in physical education. The program is based on a progressive framework from junior kindergarten to grade 12. There are eight developmentally appropriate physical activity challenges at each grade level with a general emphasis on fun physical fitness in the upper grades. Challenges are achievement-based, not performance-based, allowing ALL students to be successful regardless of athletic ability.
Royal Bank Active 8 comes complete with curriculum Modules, a Fund Raising and Event Guide, and participant badges.
Sportability
Sportability is fun for all and all for fun! Sportability is designed to help raise kids' self-esteem and improve sport skills. Because the program is non-competitive and considers individual differences in growth and development, kids feel good about themselves and sport. Designed for children ages 6 through 12, Sportability aims to develop kids' sport skills in three categories: Gymnastics, Track and Field and Team Games. Participants strive to achieve three progressive levels within each category - Blue, Red and Green. As thy complete skills along the way, kids are awarded stickers to put into their Sportability Passports. Each student receives a certificate at the completion of each level. Sportability is safe, easy to implement and fun.
You Can make a Difference
Developed by OPHEA, this innovative resource contains a Facilitator's Guide and a Motivational Video in both English and French. You Can Make A Difference aims to assist young women between 13 and 19 years of age to examine their smoking behaviour, avoid smoking, or quit smoking.
Using a "mentorship" model, community leaders will help potential mentors discover how they can make a difference in a young woman's life. Mentors will develop the skills necessary to build meaningful relationships with young women, and encourage them to stop smoking.
FoodFocus
FoodFocus is a user friendly nutritional analysis program...further expanded with input from home economists, nutritionists and public health nurses as well as teachers and students. Users are able to select foods for a recipe, a grocery list, a meal or a day, which can be easily analyzed. FoodFocus gives students a clear and concise view of their eating habits. Adjusting their food intake until they receive a satisfactory "report card" allow students to see how food choices affect their lifestyle.
Contact OPHEA at:
(416) 426-7120 or 1-888-446-7432 (44-OPHEA)
e-mail: info@ophea.org
Webpage: www.ophea.org
Are you... creating a web site?
Consider the following criteria for an effective web site*
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CONTENT
INTERACTIVITY
GRAPHICS
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ARCHITECTURE
NAVIGABILITY
LINKS
OTHER
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*Developed by OPHEA
[Contents]
Are you...
Creating a Video?
With a Little Help from My Friends" video and Lifestyles Change Guide. Six compelling stories of peer support are seen through the eyes of 5 men and women reveal six primary support strategies. The Guide offers useful tools and workshop outlines built around "Stages of Change" approach. Available from: HRI (802) 862-8855, $95 U.S.
Are you...
Creating Displays?
Check out the following sources of quizzes that might be of use:
- Kingston, Hastings, Frontenac and Leduc Health Unit
- 1 page quizzes
http://www.khunit.com/quiz.html - American Heart Association
- a myriad of Q & A sheets on many heart health topics
http://www.americanheart.org/Health/Lifestyle/ - National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute
- "Check your heart healthy IQ"
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
@heart
Vol. 1, No. 4 Fall, 1998
A newsletter from Ontario's Heart Health Resource Centre
@heart is published four times a year to provide up-to-date heart health news from around the province for anyone who is interested in heart health promotion. The status of communities implementing heart health programs, developments at the Ministry of Health, heart health news from across Canada, and information about useful resources will be reported in @heart.
@heart is published by the Heart Health Resource Centre, c/o Ontario Public Health Association, 468 Queen Street East, Suite 202, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1T7. You may telephone us at (416) 367-3313, or toll-free at 1-800-267-6817. Our fax number is (416) 367-2844, and you may reach us by e-mail at heart@web.net
- @heart production:
- WordTrade Public Relations Inc., Toronto
- (Design by the Graffic Link Design Studio, Brantford)
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Please address all correspondence to the Editor, @heart, at the above address.