Canadian Best Practices Portal

Maintaining a healthy weight can play an important role in promoting health. The issue of healthy weights is high on the public health agenda in Canada and around the world.

What you will find

These resources provide Canadian and international information to help you plan programs which promote healthy weights. For more information, please visit the Best Practices section for interventions related to healthy weights.

Data

A first step to planning a program to promote healthy weights is to understand the issue through surveillance data.

Canadian Data

Chronic disease infobase Data Cubes interactive database, Public Health Agency of Canada.
Adjusting the scales: Obesity in the Canadian population after correcting for respondent bias, Statistics Canada (2014).
Eating disorders among girls and women in Canada, House of Commons (2014).
Obesity and the economics of prevention: Fit not fat – Key Facts – Canada, Update 2014 (PDF document), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Obesity in Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Institute for Health Information (2011).
State of the evidence review on urban health and healthy weights (PDF document), Canadian Population Health Initiative at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (2008).

Statistics Canada

Obesity, Web page with data tables, publications and other resources.
Overweight and obese adults (self-reported), Health fact sheets (2013).
Body mass index, overweight or obese, self-reported, youth, by sex (2014).
Body mass index, overweight or obese, self-reported, adult, by age group and sex (2014).
Perspectives: Obesity on the job (PDF document) (2009).

Provincial/Territorial Data

Data by province/territory is available from Statistics Canada. Provincial/territorial data can be accessed from the links below.

Body mass index, overweight or obese, self-reported, youth, by sex, provinces and territories, data table (2014).
Body mass index, overweight or obese, self-reported, adult, by sex, provinces and territories, data table. (2014).

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

OECD health statisitics 2015, (includes overweight and obesity). Online database.
Obesity update 2014.
Health at a glance 2014: Europe, Includes overweight and obesity among adults.

United States

Nutrition, physical activity and obesity: Data, trends and mapsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obesity and Overweight, Adult, child and adolescent prevalence data on obesity and overweight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States, 2011-2012, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013).

World Health Organization

Obesity and overweight: Fact sheet (2015).
Global database on body mass Index, online database (various years).
Global infobase: Data on overweight and obesity, online database (various years).

Economic burden of obesity

The economic consequences associated with obesity and overweight in Québec: Costs tied to hospitalization and medical consultations (PDF document), Institut national de santé publique du Québec (2015).
The cost of obesity in Alberta: Summary report (PDF document), Alberta Health Services (2011).
The economic burden of obesity (PDF document), National Health Service, United Kingdom (2010).

Government Strategies (Frameworks, Action Plans, etc.)

Canada, several Canadian provinces and international jurisdictions have a specific healthy weights strategy for children and youth, as well as strategies for healthy eating and physical activity. For this information, please see the topic pages on healthy weights-children, nutrition and physical activity.

Canadian Strategies

Towards a healthier Canada – 2013 Progress report on advancing the Federal/Provincial/Territorial framework on healthy weights, Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health and Healthy Living (2013).
Canadian priorities for addressing obesity as a cancer and chronic disease risk factor (PDF document), Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (2010).

Provincial/Territorial Strategies

Alberta

Alberta Health Services obesity initiative (PDF document), Alberta Health Services (2011).

British Columbia

Healthy families BC wellness strategy that includes healthy weights.

Manitoba

Healthy together now, Government of Manitoba wellness strategy that includes healthy weights.

New Brunswick

Live well, be well: New Brunswick’s wellness strategy action plan 2012-2013 (PDF document).
Live well, be well: New Brunswick’s wellness strategy 2009-2013 (PDF document). A strategy that includes healthy weights.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Achieving health and wellness: Provincial wellness plan for Newfoundland and Labrador (PDF document) (2006-2008).

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island strategy for healthy living (PDF document). A wellness strategy that includes healthy weights.

Quebec

Plan d’action gouvernemental de promotion des saines habitudes de vie et de prévention des problèmes reliés au poids 2006-2012, Investir pour l’avenir (PAG) (PDF document) Action Plan, Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec.

Territories

Phase 2: Working Together To Achieve Healthier Lifestyles in Yukon and Northwest Territories Communities Arctic Institute of Community-based Research (2015).

International Strategies

Australia

Technical paper 1: Obesity in Australia: A need for urgent action, Preventative Health Taskforce (2009).
Healthy weight for adults and older Australians: A National action agenda to address overweight and obesity in adults and older Australians 2006-2010, Department of Health.

France

Programme national nutrition santé 2011-2015 (French only). Multisectoral national nutrition and health program with the goal of reducing risk factors fro chronic disease through a focus on nutrition. République Française (2011).