Dietitians of Canada - Dietitians in Public Health

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Dietitians in public health

Background

Public health nutrition helps enhance health and prevent nutrition-related diseases.

Public health dietitians focus on:

The interactions among the determinants of health
Food security
Nutritional health
Overall health

Position

Public health dietitians are experts in nutrition, food systems and related public health sciences. Dietitians call for:

Guaranteed sustained funding for public health
Increasing the percentage of total public funds invested in public health
Expanded human resources including dietitians
Continued and enhanced public health leadership
Strengthened capacity of the Public Health Agency of Canada

Actions

Dietitians of Canada (DC) is a member of the Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century. As part of this group, dietitians try to make Canadians the healthiest people in the world. We advocate for an effective and integrated public health system.

Since 2006, DC has been a member of the Pan Canadian Task Force on Public Health Nutrition Practice. We have received funding each year from the Public Health Agency of Canada to undertake projects that strengthen public health nutrition practice.

Resources:

Strengthening the Canadian Health System:A Call to Action from Dietitians
(November 2011) The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology was accepting submissions in preparation for the Health Accord 2014. Dietitians of Canada called for action in three areas: increased investment in health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention including access to healthy food, coordinated interprofessional health services, and sufficient labour supply and access to dietitians.
Public Health Nutrition Practice in Canada – Reports from the Pan Canadian Task Force on Public Health Nutrition Practice
Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century – An overview by the Canadian Public Health Association’s

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QUOTE

"No attempt to improve public health will succeed that does not recognize the fundamental importance of providing and maintaining in every local health agency across Canada an adequate staff of highly skilled and motivated public health professionals. Our national aim should be to produce a cadre of outstanding public health professionals who are adequately qualified and compensated, and who have clear roles, responsibilities and career paths."

Health Canada 2003. Learning from SARS: Renewal of Public Health in Canada.

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