Preventable Health Conditions Up In Prince Albert

Preventable Health Conditions Up In Prince Albert

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 14:09

 

 

The Prince Albert Parkland Health Region has released a report examining the overall health of its residents.

 

The report looks at numerous issues — including sexual well-being, nutrition and life expectancy — and uses a variety of sources, such as the 2001 Census.

 

It found that a quarter of the residents in the health region are obese — that’s five per cent more than the rest of the province.

 

As well, many Aboriginal teenagers in the area are beginning to develop adult-onset diabetes.

 

The report also notes that a third of Aboriginal households don’t have access to safe nutritious food, while the same can only be said for a tenth of non-Aboriginal households.

 

Chief medical health officer Dr. Leo Lanoie says H.I.V. infections and cases of Hepatitis C are also on the rise.

 

He notes sexual education practices could be strengthened — such as making sure children are educated about the issue in their early primary school years.

 

Lanoie also says Prince Albert has an abnormally high number of smokers — 31.5 per cent of residents are listed as smokers, compared to just 23.8 per cent of citizens in the rest of the province.