NIAGARA, ON: It might not be top of mind for most high school students, but the reality is the lifestyle choices they make now will contribute to their health when they are older.
With that in mind, the District Stroke Program of the Niagara Health System (NHS) is launching Stroke Awareness Month in June by partnering with an international expert to speak with students about the importance of making healthy choices now to prevent and reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
Members of the media are invited to attend a presentation by Dr. Robert Ross, a Professor at Queens University in Kingston and recognized international leader in the areas of obesity, physical activity and metabolism. Dr. Ross will speak to Grade 9 and 10 physical education classes from Denis Morris, St. Francis and Holy Cross secondary schools
The focus of the presentation will be on achieving a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on increasing physical activity and decreasing risk factors such as obesity and smoking. This includes eating a healthy diet, choosing foods that are low in sodium, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, reducing stress and having regular blood pressure checks.
The presentation will be held May 26, 2009, 9:40 a.m., at Denis Morris High School, located at 40 Glen Morris Drive, in St. Catharines.
"This is an exciting new initiative for our program as we have always targeted adult audiences," says Leanne Hammond, Coordinator of the regional District Stroke Program, located at the Greater Niagara General Site in Niagara Falls. "We feel that it is so important to target the younger population to motivate them to make healthier choices now to minimize the risk of developing chronic disease when they are older."
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death, disability and illness in Canada. The District Stroke Program of Niagara Health provides a variety of stroke-related services to thousands of patients across the region every year
For more information, contact:
Caroline Bourque Wiley
Consultant, Public Affairs
905-378-4647, ext. 43113
cwiley@niagarahealth.on.ca
