The annual Chronic Disease Prevention Initiative conference, put on by the Burntwood Regional Health Authority (BRHA), took place in Thompson from Feb. 23 to 25. The theme of this year’s conference was Pathways to Healthy Living, and the program’s aim is to deal with the high rate of chronic disease through increasing physical activity, healthy eating, reducing tobacco use and looking after mental health.

Blake Ellis, communications co-ordinator with the BRHA, said in a news release that the cornerstone of the program’s success is that it is delivered at the community level by the community.

“Local activities are occurring in 22 of the 26 communities in the Burntwood Region, and work towards the prevention of such chronic diseases as heart disease and stroke, Type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, lung disease and some types of cancer such as breast, prostrate, lung and colon,” he says.

According to BRHA, one in four people in the region are considered obese, while only one third of people eat five or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day. Approximately 35 per cent of people smoke, compared to the provincial statistic of 20 per cent.

The annual conference’s goal was to bring representatives from the 22 communities together and give them the opportunity to network and learn important aspects about the prevention of chronic disease and to promote healthy lifestyles.

Sessions which took place in the three-day conference included community development, community engagement, health and literacy and mental health first aid. Training was also offered in the Manitoba Lung Association’s Lungs are for Life program and the Manitoba Fitness Council’s Active Living Facilitator course. David Sanderson, the justice director for Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) was the keynote speaker for the event.