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There’s a frightening new epidemic sweeping across Alberta. Experts call it Health.

If you’re not careful, you could catch it. Health has been traced back to seemingly harmless activities like getting off the bus early and walking a few extra blocks to get home or cutting down on junk food like pop and chips.

Beware of the symptoms of Health: horrible afflictions like thicker hair, clearer skin, stable weight and an overall feeling of wellbeing.

If all this sounds a little backwards, that’s because it is—intentionally so. This ironic, humorous approach to promoting healthy living was the strategy of the Catch Health campaign, which launched September 30th 2008.

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Catch Health and Create A Movement
Catch Health was part of the larger Create A Movement initiative from Alberta Health and Wellness. Aimed at children and youth, and particularly teenagers, this campaign encouraged young people to join the movement for better health and find ways to make healthy living fun.

Create A Movement was first launched in September 2007 and continued full force in 2008 with Catch Health.

The Catch Health campaign spoofed the messaging that health agencies traditionally use to warn people about contagious diseases such as measles or the flu. This tongue-in-cheek approach to positive change promised to appeal strongly to the teenaged audience.

Dr. Raj Sherman, Parliamentary Assistant for Alberta Health and Wellness and an emergency room physician, believed the Catch Health campaign would resonate with young people.

“Our message for the Catch Health campaign is essentially this: kids should be careful because they might catch health and actually have some fun doing it,” says Dr. Sherman. “They might live longer and feel better. They might do better in school. They might even teach their parents a few good things about healthy living.”

“The big picture is that the Create A Movement initiative is challenging children and youth to change,” adds Dr. Sherman. “We are telling them to eat smart and move more. But we are saying it in language they can understand.”

Dr. Sherman saw Create A Movement as an initiative that fulfilled a crucial need at a critical time. “Overweight and obesity rates are rising among our children and youth, along with the other health problems that go along with inactivity and poor eating habits,” he says. “We need to educate our youth on how to live a healthier lifestyle.”

Fortunately, it’s surprisingly easy to “catch health” once people set their minds to embracing change. “We can meet this challenge,” says Dr. Sherman. “Even taking small steps to enhance physical activity and eat better can improve health in short order.”

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Ideas for Action
So what small steps can youth take to improve their health?

“There are simple things kids can do,” says Doug Gleddie, Director of Ever Active Schools, a government funded program that supports healthy, active school communities. “Head outside instead of playing video games all the time. If friends come over, why not go to the park and play Capture the Flag instead of turning on the TV? Or get off the bus a few blocks from home and walk the last bit of the trip.”

Gleddie recognizes that it’s not always easy to make health a priority. “There are choices you have to make,” he says, “and since peer relationships are so important for young people, having friends who are inactive does present a challenge.”

But he adds that change can and does happen. “Sometimes it takes just one or two people to get an activity started and get things going,” he says.

Another piece of advice from Gleddie: “Don’t try to be active or get into shape by doing something you don’t like. It won’t work. Find something you enjoy!”

In the fall of 2008 Ever Active Schools hosted 11 Healthy Active School Symposia for parents, staff and students across the province as a way for school communities to connect, learn, share ideas and plan together for better health. Catch Health was involved in those symposia.

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The enthusiasm is already building, and all indications are that health is going to catch on in a big way. Young people and their parents are becoming acutely aware of the need to be active and eat right. They’re ready. Stay tuned.

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Learn More
Create A Movement
Website for the Create A Movement campaign.

Ever Active Schools
Find out more about the Ever Active Schools program, which endeavours “to foster social and physical environments supportive of healthy, active lifestyles in school communities across Alberta”.

Not Gonna Kill You
The Government of Ontario also takes a humorous approach to promoting physical activity with the message, “It’s not gonna kill you.”

EATracker
This tracker from Dietitians of Canada helps you assess how many calories and what nutrients you’re consuming. The tracker also calculates your body mass index (BMI) and gives you eating tips based on your age, gender and activity level.