According to the Government of Canada (2023), approximately 45.1% of Canadians are living with one or more chronic illnesses and the rate is expected to rise by 14% each year. Prominent conditions include obesity (29.2%), arthritis (19.5%) and hypertension (17.7%).

 

In Alberta, an estimated 30% of the population are living with at least one chronic illness. 75 per cent of the people impacted are aged 65 years and older, and the rates in seniors are projected to rise to one in five by 2031. Growth in Alberta’s population teamed with an aging population is leading to greater dependencies and strain on the health care system (Alberta Health Services, 2023).

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This week I explored disease surveillance tools in Alberta, to get a deeper understanding of the prevalence rates of chronic illness in the province. I came across the Alberta Primary Care Network (PCN) dashboard that provides demographic, socio-economic and population health statistics for Alberta Zone PCNs. The data is comprehensive and took some getting used to, but I was able to pull data for my recent blog post related to chronic disease in Alberta in comparison to British Columbia.

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I moved on to look at chronic disease in relation to physical activity and came across the following resource that discusses the benefits of participating in regular exercise. According to the resource, regular physical activity can prevent 1 in 10 premature deaths, 1 in 8 cases of breast cancer, 1 in 8 cases of colorectal cancer, 1 in 12 cases of diabetes and 1 in 15 cases of heart disease. Click here to view the resource. 

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Finally, I found a study by McNeely et al., (2019) that explores community-based exercise as a secondary cancer prevention tool in Canada. The paper explores the evolution of cancer care from a disease and survival focus to a more holistic approach that recognizes physical fitness as a health promotion mechanism for improving quality of life after cancer treatment. The study can be viewed here.

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Curated Resources

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Alberta Health Services. (n.d.). Chronic Disease Management. Alberta Health Services. Retrieved November 3, 2023, from https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/page11934.aspx#:~:text=Chronic%20Disease%20in%20Alberta,years%20of%20age%20or%20older

 

Alberta Statistics. (n.d.). Alberta Diabetes Link. Retrieved November 4, 2023, from https://albertadiabeteslink.ca/professionals/alberta-statistics/

 

Government of Canada, S. C. (2023, September 13). Health outcomes. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-570-x/2023001/section1-eng.htm#a3

 

Health Analytics reporting site. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2023, from https://healthanalytics.alberta.ca/health-analytics.html

 

McNeely, M. L., Sellar, C., Williamson, T., Shea-Budgell, M., Joy, A. A., Lau, H. Y., Easaw, J. C., Murtha, A. D., Vallance, J., Courneya, K., Mackey, J. R., Parliament, M., & Culos-Reed, N. (2019). Community-based exercise for health promotion and secondary cancer prevention in Canada: protocol for a hybrid effectiveness-implementation study. BMJ Open, 9(9), e029975. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029975

 

Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5FworVXyW0

 

Sheill, G., Hennessy, M., Neill, L. O., Reynolds, S., Towns, J., Gill, M., & Guinan, E. (2022). Exercise and chronic health conditions in the community: A qualitative Study of Patients and Fitness instructors. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(3), 1025–1034. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13288

 

Services, A. H. (n.d.). Chronic Disease Management. Alberta Health Services. Retrieved November 3, 2023, from https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/page11934.aspx#:~:text=Chronic%20Disease%20in%20Alberta,years%20of%20age%20or%20older

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