Minister of State for Broccoli

August 25, 2006

The Broccoli Minister is Obese!

How's that for someone whose job it is to promote exercise and nutrition? That's as bad as appointing a chain smoker to be Minister of Health, isn't it Corky? Responsibility for ActNow BC was shifted from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and the Arts with Gordon Hogg (a.k.a. Minister for Broccoli) as Minister of State. In an interview published in the Vancouver Province on August 25, 2006, Hogg said he hopes to lose 20 pounds. That's a good start for someone who is obese but it shouldn't be his long range goal.

Body fat is indirectly measured by the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is weight in kilograms divided by height squared measured in meters. BMI calculators are found on the Internet, including on the site for the Center for Disease Control (CDC). At 5' 10" and weighing 225 pounds, Hogg's BMI is 32.3. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or more; overweight is defined as having a BMI between 25 and 29.9. To get his BMI down to 24, the Minister who is responsible for promoting fitness would have to reduce his weight to 167 pounds.

This is not a matter of pointing to hypocrisy or harassing some poor cabinet minister who may be using a fork and spoon do to himself in. the government complains about the high cost of health care and the number of illnesses caused by lifestyle choices. Excess weight and obesity are rivaling smoking as a major cause of disease. According to the CDC overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems and some cancers.

In a study published in 2003 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the authors concluded that: "On the basis of associations observed in this study, we estimate that current patterns of overweight and obesity in the United States could account for 14 percent of all deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of those in women." In particular, they found that: "In both men and women, body-mass index was also significantly associated with higher rates of death due to cancer of the esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and kidney; the same was true for death due to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma."

The public relations stunt with Gordon Hogg and Stan Hagen at the PNE drew attention to Hogg's problem. The story was spun as a challenge to some labour leaders to also lose weight. Hogg needs to stay in the news challenging everyone to eat properly balanced meals in moderation and to exercise regularly. The government spends millions on advertising for the purpose of modifying behaviour, in particular it spends millions trying to convince people to buy lottery tickets. Imagine what would happen if it put the same effort into promoting something that benefits the public.

August 16, 2006

Minister of State for Broccoli

Cynics might see the appointment of Gordon Hogg (MLA for Surrey - White Rock and former Minister of Children and Family Development before he stepped aside as a consequence of the Walls affair) as a boondoggle for the Premier's friend and former roommate. Those who know Hogg say he is a decent fellow who was the victim of mistakes by his staff, and Hogg did the right thing by accepting Ministerial responsibility. Rather than minimizing his new role as Minister of State for Act Now B.C., the appointment should be taken as the first serious move to invigorate a limp commitment to health promotion. As former Minister of Children and Family Development, Hogg presided over the devastating budget cuts that helped to create even more chaos in a Ministry that is troubled at the best of times. A first test for the new Minister of State will be whether he has any significant budget to work with, or whether the budget is little more than the amount necessary to pay his increased salary.

Imagine what would happen if the Campbell government devoted as much money to health promotion as it devotes to selling lottery tickets. The advertising budget for B.C. Lottery Corporation is a state secret that cannot be pried lose with freedom of information requests, but you cannot drive down the street or turn on the TV without seeing lottery ads. Picture that same media buy allocated to messages about nutrition, exercise and harm prevention.

According to a Ministry of Health website:

"ActNow BC is designed to support individuals and communities to protect and improve their health by focusing on these five achievable goals for BC's population by 2010:

Healthy Eating - Increase by 20 per cent BC's population who eat recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables

Physical Activity - Increase by 20 per cent BC's population who are physically active

Tobacco Use - Reduce tobacco use by 10 per cent among British Columbians

Overweight and Obesity - Reduce by 20 per cent the BC population classified as overweight or obese

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) - Increase by 50 per cent women who access prevention and information on the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy"

The Campbell government set out "five great goals" by a media release and by inclusion in the February 2005 Speech from the Throne. Accompanying the September 2005 mini-budget in the aftermath of the election, Ministries tabled revised service plans that attempted to relate their goals and objectives to the five great goals. The second great goal is to: "Make B.C. a model for healthy living and physical fitness." Hence, Hogg is right where the action should be; unfortunately, however, the goals may have been little more than a passing theme for the 2005 election campaign. Until Hogg's resurrection to cabinet in the August 15th mini-shuffle, little was heard about the great goals or ActNow BC.

According to the Health Ministry's 2005-06 Annual Service Plan Report, ActNow BC initiatives included:

A $30 million investment in health promotion through partnerships with the BC Healthy Living Alliance and 2010 Legacies Now.
$4.2 million to provide communities throughout B.C. with information, resources and support to encourage healthy lifestyles.
A School Fruit and Vegetable Program which provides one serving of B.C. grown fruits or vegetables to children twice a week at ten elementary schools.

While the Annual Report claimed that the Ministry "Continued strategies to reduce tobacco use across British Columbia," casinos continued to be allowed to have designated smoking areas.

The voting members of the "Healthy Living Alliance" are the:

BC Lung Association
BC Pediatric Society
BC Recreation and Parks Association
Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon Division
Canadian Diabetes Association
Dietitians of Canada, BC Region
Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC and Yukon
Public Health Association of BC
Union of BC Municipalities

The Alliance's website does not include a financial statement. If the $30 million mentioned in the Ministry's Annual Report is the extent of its funding, that would amount to one quarter of one percent of the Ministry's budget - less than it spends in one average day. If activities of the Healthy Living Alliance are one of main thrusts of ActNow BC, perhaps Hogg could raise their profile and improve their reporting to the public.

You might think that the Ministry of Health would be ashamed to report that its major contribution to improving nutrition was "A School Fruit and Vegetable Program which provides one serving of B.C. grown fruits or vegetables to children twice a week at ten elementary schools." BC has over 500,000 children; those attending just 10 elementary schools are an infinitesimal portion of the total. If the Campbell government raised welfare rates and helped the working poor, more parents could afford to feed their kids.

Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends everyone eat 5 to 10 servings per day of fruits and vegetables. One serving twice a week is less than 6% of a child's weekly requirements. Hogg better get busy and urge everyone to eat their broccoli! That's no joke. In a good diet two thirds of one's plate should be fruits and vegetables; think of that the next time you look at how few vegetables are on the typical plate received in a restaurant as you cast your eye around the room and marvel at the number of people who are not only overweight, but obese. If Hogg takes his new job seriously, he'll find it is one of the most important in government.