A number of factors work together to determine how long we will live and how healthy we will be. Alternatively, they can detract from our health and put us at health risks, like disease and injury. Overall, a small number of things that we do can make big differences in our health:
- What we eat
- How much we move our bodies
- If we choose to use alcohol or tobacco
- If we do risky things that put us at risk of injury
However, other things (factors) also contribute (or detract) from our health. These are things that we may or may not be able to control:
- How we think or feel (mental wellness)
- Things that happened early in our life (early childhood development)
- Where we live, work, learn and play (do these places support our health?)
Northern Health is committed to using a population health approach to address risk factors collectively. To do this, we are developing research papers that are evidence-based and consistent with provincial and national best practices. These documents will:
- Help to create a common understanding of the factors and how they impact our health - for us and our stakeholders and partners
- Bring together evidence of what works to address the factors
- Look at examples of what others have done successfully
- Start ways to identify strategies for action to address risk factors