Empowering healthy lifestyle choices
NWT-specific videos being used in push to prevent chronic diseases
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, November 6, 2014
HAY RIVER
The Department of Health and Social Services is hoping a series of videos resonates with NWT residents.
Dr. Kami Kandola, the Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of the NWT, left, and Vee Faria, the territorial prevention co-ordinator, present Thaddeus Kotchea with an iPad for participating in a workshop in Fort Simpson on chronic disease prevention. The Department of Health and Social Services has developed a series of videos to let NWT residents know about lifestyle changes they can make to help prevent certain chronic diseases. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo
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Through its NWT BETTER program, the department is working to prevent and reduce chronic diseases by focusing on screening interventions and improving lifestyle choices. The initiative started by building on existing tools for doctors and nurses, but the question soon became how to best reach the communities, said Dr. Kami Kandola, the Deputy Chief Public Health Officer for the NWT.
The results of that answer were shown in Fort Simpson on Oct. 23. Five community members participated in a workshop about chronic disease prevention that included a screening of three short videos.
Each video focused on a different NWT resident who tells their story about making a healthy lifestyle choice. Dan Daniels talks about the importance of physical activity, Roy Erasmus shares his story of quitting smoking and Gladys Norwegian of Jean Marie River talks about healthy eating.
The goal with the videos is to get across the messages in a way that resonates with people, Kandola said.
"The videos are about empowering people," she said.
"The people in these videos are leaders."
Having a positive message is more effective than lecturing at people or showing them a PowerPoint presentation, said Kandola. A total of five videos are being made including one on alcohol and another on healthy relationships. The set of videos are expected to be taken on a film tour throughout the NWT.
The films tackle lifestyle factors that are associated with increased risks for chronic diseases including tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating. The department is particularly targeting cancer - specifically breast, cervical and colorectal - cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Between 2007 and 2009, cancers were the leading cause of death in the NWT at 25 per cent followed by cardiovascular disease at 23 per cent and injury at 16. Seven out of 10 people in the NWT die of a chronic disease, said Kandola.
By making healthy lifestyle choices like the people in the videos, NWT residents are benefiting themselves and also their families and communities, she said.
Jim Antoine, who watched the videos in Fort Simpson, thinks they will be more effective than printed material.
"We're visual people," he said.
"It gets you to start thinking and talking especially if you recognize the people."
All of the people in the videos are well-respected and it's good that they stepped forward. They aren't saying they are better than anyone else, but are just sharing what they've done, said Antoine.
