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Sport and physical activity alone cannot address health inequalities among indigenous communities

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Organized sport is usually presented as a cure-all for lots of the health problems facing indigenous peoples. While there are a lot of advantages to participating in sports, exaggerating these advantages can obscure the systemic issues that folks face as they fight to create their very own vision of health.

One sec research shows that encouraging young people to have interaction in sports and physical activity is important to improving health outcomes, the link between sports participation and the health of indigenous communities will not be that easy.

For example, a recent literature review conducted by the National Collaborative Center for Indigenous Health highlights a big policy issue: Indigenous youth are more physically lively than non-Indigenous youth, yet they self-report poorer health outcomes.

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This illustrates why using sports participation as a template for policymaking to influence positive health outcomes is troublesome. Sport has historically did not address the systemic issues that burden Indigenous people and their communities. To address these deep-seated problems, a more comprehensive and culturally rooted approach to sports policy is required.

Indigenous youth are more likely than their Indigenous peers to actively engage in physical activity and sport.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jesse Johnston

National sports policy

A national sports policy is essential since it serves as a guide to how and why the federal government will spend money on sports. Canada’s first sports policy, An act encouraging sports and amateur sportsdating back to 1961. It mainly involved cost-sharing agreements with provinces and territories to encourage people to have interaction in sports for physical fitness and competition.

The federal government then began to focus increasingly on competitive sports. Since the Nineteen Seventies, billions of dollars have been invested in athletes to win gold, silver and bronze medals, as if their accolades would encourage residents to be more physically lively.

The general direction of those policies is expressed within the phrase “from the playground to the rostrum” — an apt summary of the scope and ambition of most of them.

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Now, a brand new national sports policy is on the horizon, and with it a renewed discussion concerning the relationship between health and sport in Canada. The a consultation report that forms the idea of the brand new policy refers to sports as “an integral part of health and culture in Canada” and quotes describe it as a type of health care.

Sports and health

The link between sports participation and federal policymaking is long-standing and rooted in the standard wisdom that: encouraging youth to take part in sports reliably leads to higher health outcomes.

For example, the primary goal Canada’s 2002 sports policy aimed to significantly increase the variety of Canadians participating in sportsclaiming that practicing sports “contributes to a healthier, longer and more productive life.”

The Canadian sports policy 2012 continued to emphasise the positive health advantages of sport, claiming that it “enhances personal development, provides enjoyment and relaxation, reduces stress, improves physical and mental health, fitness and overall well-being, and enables a more productive and fulfilling life.” ”

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A middle-aged woman with short blonde hair speaks into a microphone while sitting in front of a row of Canadian flags
Minister of Sport and Physical Activity Carla Qualtrough talks concerning the measures the federal government is taking to enhance sports safety, December 11, 2023, in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

It cannot be denied that the 2012 policy meant broadly understood health. Considering these were big claims in 2012, only 34 per cent of Canadians participated in some type of organized sport. By 2023 this number increased to almost 50%.largely as a consequence of post-Covid-19 return to play initiatives – a trend that could be reversed as a consequence of rising costs of living.

For the indigenous people, yes no official study monitoring Indigenous participation in sports in Canada. This implies that assumptions that sport is a think about Indigenous health may not apply to many segments of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations. This also implies that sports policy may exacerbate existing health inequalities quite than treatment them.

Social determinants of health in indigenous peoples

While sport is a vital and valued aspect of Canadian life, the relative impact it may have on the general health of a community is tempered by many external aspects, because the federal government’s public health resources illustrate.

Approach to sport from A social determinants of the health perspective of indigenous peoples would make clear why and how this happens. The Canadian government currently uses 12 social determinants of health and health inequalities manage your policy.

The social determinants of Indigenous health transcend current government approaches and include an assessment of other negative aspects, akin to settler colonialism, in addition to positive aspects, akin to Indigenous culture and spirituality.

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Similarly, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action No. 89 calls on decision-makers to adopt a broader perspective of sport that takes health under consideration. In the US:

“We call on the federal government to amend the Physical Activity and Sport Act to support reconciliation by ensuring that policies that promote physical activity as a fundamental component of health and well-being, reduce barriers to sport participation, increase the pursuit of excellence in sport and build the capacity of Canada’s sport system , include Aboriginal people.”

Threats to sports evangelization

Without critically considering how we view the role of sport in Canadian life, any latest policy risks the hazards of sport evangelism: the false belief that sport alone can miraculously solve social and structural problems.

The long list of social determinants of indigenous health is a stark reminder of the necessity to know sport inside this complex matrix.

In each mainstream and Indigenous communities across Canada, sports are neither inherently good nor bad. Rather, it’s a tool that needs to be used responsibly. This requires us to acknowledge each its potential and limitations to complement the lives of its participants, especially those we all know struggle with health inequities, as is the case with indigenous peoples.

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This article was originally published on : theconversation.com

Health and Wellness

Why the quality of gait is important as it ages

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Walking is one of the most important things that we do for our quality of life. In fact, Research shows It contributes greater than another physical activity in how well we live overnight. Already one in three People over the age of 60 report some difficulties in walking.

With age, gradual changes in our bodies and health can change the way I walk, often without realizing. But the way we go, known as our gait pattern, is more important than we might sound. Poor gait not only makes walking harder and more tiring; It can result in joint deformation, instability and greater risk of falls.

Think about your walk like a heart rhythm. Like electrocardiogram (EKG) shows whether your heart works properly, your walk also has a rhythm. When this rhythm is turned off, it will be one of the earliest signs that you’ll not age as well as you’ll be able to.

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Thanks New technologyWe can now easier and thoroughly measure the quality of gait. One promising tool is Heel2toe wearing sensor. This small device attaches to the shoe and follows the movement of the ankle while walking, grabbing the series of gait in real time.



A healthy step begins with a heavy heel impact. Your weight moves on the sole of the foot, ending with pushing out of your toes. When the foot rises, it changes cleanly – without dragging or drawing. This smooth sequence creates a rhythm in the movement of the ankle, which, when it is coherent, resembles the type of “walking ECG”.

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But with time, Many individuals are unknowingly accepting Less efficient movement patterns. These modified gaits could appear normal, but they are sometimes unstable, tiring or dangerous.

The older man fell to the floor while walking
A weak gait can increase the risk of falls.
https://www.shtterstock.com/image-photo/asian-senior-palling-on-grund-2147078055

Weak gait reduces confidenceIt increases the risk of falling and might discourage people from walking in any respect. The less we walk, the weaker our muscles turn out to be – deterioration of the problem. This is a flawed cycle.

Giving as much as walk well

The excellent news is that we are able to Losing our gait.

The Heel2toe sensor not only monitors your movements – that is also Encourages higher walking. When he detects a superb step (the one which starts with a heavy heel impact), provides audio guidance as positive feedback. Over time, the following pointers help discover a stronger, more stable walking pattern. Good gait becomes your latest norm. Tools such as Heel2toe help people tune in to their body signals and achieve sustainable progress.

The goal is not only to maneuver – it’s higher.

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Of course, being physically energetic is Only one aspect What does it mean to live well as you aged.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjujlrx9GC

To get a more complete picture of healthy aging Researchers have developed A tool that measures how often older adults experience key facets of well -being. This tool – a tan measure (elderly people to energetic life) – goes beyond tracking what people do. He asks how they feel about their lives.

Opal may help people understand their very own well -being and offers decision -makers and communities a option to assess how their services support older residents – not only physically, but in addition socially and emotionally.

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For people, which means that even small improvements, such as higher gait, can result in significant changes in how you’re feeling: more confident, more mobile and more independent.

For the community, it is a reminder that promoting physical activity is important – but insufficient. We also need programs, spaces and services that support the combination, goal, creativity and joy.

What does “active life” really mean?

IN International study 2024Older adults in Canada, Great Britain, the USA and the Netherlands shared, which suggests “active life” for them – in 4 languages ​​and cultural contexts.

They identified 17 different “ways of being” that contribute to activity. Physical health was just one part. Others included the feeling: self -confidence, combined, creative, energized, encouraged, engaged, glad, mentally healthy, independent, interested, mentally, motivated, resistant and self -sufficient.

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In other words, energetic life is not only taking (or counting) steps, it’s about how you’re feeling while taking them.

Aging is inevitable. But is getting old well? This is something that we are able to shape – step-by-step.

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This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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Health and Wellness

The star Jones says “indignation” about the health of the heart will save your life

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The star Jones says

Ghettos

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Star Jones was pioneering in lots of industries, including in law, television and health, and is an energetic volunteer of the American Heart Association.

Considering that that is the national month of women’s health, he works with MedtronicAn organization coping with medical devices, in an effort to increase awareness of heart disease in women and throwing light to a brand new study of women aged 30-50, sponsored by an organization that shows that heart health is a smaller motivator of biological renewal for ladies than maintaining the physical appearance or body (10%), despite the primary of the women’s killer. The study sheds light on the gap in the field of awareness and open discussions on heart health, despite over 60 million women in the United States living with some form of heart disease.

Jones is deeply conversant in women’s heart disease, because she was diagnosed with heart disease in 2010 and she or he was told that she would want operations on an open heart. Although Jones said that she was obese for a few years and worked on accepting weight, she was surprised by the specific symptoms she experienced, even when the weight disappeared. “The types of symptoms I had were not symptoms that normally would make the woman think about heart disease at least at the time. I fought with symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and dizziness or a garden when I was moving from sitting to standing,” he says to the essay. “I lost 150 pounds. I ate correctly. I got a huge number of exercises. I did what I should, but the symptoms were so annoying that I couldn’t just ignore them.”

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Fortunately, Jones listened to her body and decided to go to her cardiologist, after which diagnosed in not heart disease. “My doctors conducted tests that were necessary, listening to my body, explaining my symptoms, and we found that I had an aortic valve failure, which caused my heart to work optimally, so I had to have an open heart surgery with the purpose of repairing aortic valve, so that we would not replace it or receive a heart transplant,” she shared. “So I literally saved my own life, knowing enough about myself and knowing that something is wrong.”

Although Jones got here from a family with a protracted history of heart disease, their health was not a subject. “I can rightly say that until I had an open heart surgery, she became the subject of conversation,” he says. Her experience and lack of open communication together with her family inspired her participation in a letter to my mother’s campaign, which inspires women to priority to heart health, starting with a conversation together with her mother or woman of their lives, about family history, risk aspects and symptoms of heart disease. The campaign, which is a component of Medtronic’s continuous involvement in conducting and developing clinical trials for ladies’s health, goals to scale back the gap in the awareness of heart and risk diseases, particularly heart valve failure and hypertension in women.

This month, Medtronic encourages women to commit to check with moms or women in life about the health of the heart and signs of heart disease they need to search for, equivalent to hypertension and irregular heartbeat.

The national coalition for ladies with heart disease, the leading voice of a nation for ladies living with heart disease or risking to risk, has discovered the following statistics:

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  • One -third of women (30%) didn’t check with the doctor about heart health.
  • While greater than half of women are afraid that their old mother will ignore the symptoms or will not tell them when something is improper (53%), additionally they inform (56%) that they never talk about the health of the heart with their mother or other women in the family.
  • Almost half of women (45%) would favor to debate politics, money or relationships with mother or grandmother before discussing the history of family health.
  • Women argued preventive health care, equivalent to demonstration and routine controls, as the most vital conversation with mother or mother, since it still ages (35%) in comparison with funds (12%), pensions (5%) or plans at the end of life (16%).
  • Of the women from the sandwich generation with the family history of heart disease, only a 3rd (35%) asked the doctor to evaluate the risk of heart and only 44% talked about it with the family.

Although it will possibly be annoying, Jones encourages women, especially black women, to talk and tell their health. “Earlier I talked to a friend from Medtronic about underestimated communities, colorful people and women who are nervous about these conversations, which they mean in their lives, how to approach them, and even have access to doctors, and treatment that would allow them to support themselves for themselves. As we know, heart disease is really a number of deadly all women. I thought that this is a disease of an old white guy.”

Jones continues: “The numbers tell us that more than half of the risk of heart disease is hereditary. Therefore, it is really important to understand the history of your family. So you want to start with when you speak behind. And that’s why the letter to my mother’s campaign is so important, because it is a way to combine to start asking family members about health history and so it will start with a potentially reviving life.”

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This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Al Roker shares his journey into prostate cancer and offers an encouragement to Joe Biden

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Al Roker makes sure Joseph Biden knows that he will not be alone amongst his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer.

On Friday, May 18, Biden’s personal office announced that the 82-year-old former president was diagnosed with prostate cancer with a rating of 9 Gleason on 9.

“Although this is a more aggressive form of the disease, cancer seems to be sensitive to hormones, which allows for effective management,” he read the statement. “The president and his family are looking at the treatment options for their doctors.”

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The next day Roker, 70, thought of his journey with the disease that began in 2020. TODAY show.

“When I was diagnosed, I had 8 on Gleason’s scale, but they said they caught it early, even though it was aggressive, so I had a fairly wide range of treatment options,” said Roker.

Television personality for the primary time announced that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2020. Later this month he underwent surgery within the New York Sloan Sloan Cancer Center to remove its prostate and some surrounding lymph and absorbent nodes.

According to Cleveland ClinicThe Gleason result’s a system of assessing prostate cancer, which ranges from 1, when cancer cells look essentially the most like normal cells, to 10, when cancer cells look very different from healthy cells. The lower the result, the slower the cells will probably grow.

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In May 2021 ROKER’s Six months control Nothing detected at the extent of a prostate -specific antigen (dog) was found, which suggests that it was in clarity. At that point he said People magazineHe was “grateful” to have the ability to see his first grandson.

“If there is a reason to make sure you are as healthy as possible, it is,” he said.

Roker, who fought all his life with constant health problems, also shared the words of encouragement to biden within the post on X.

“Mr. President. When I found out from my battle with prostate cancer, you are part of a group in which no one wants to be a part,” he wrote about Rak, which plague, On average, one in eight men. “But knowing you, you will face this latest challenge with courage, humor and grace.”

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Al Roker becomes a grandfather, he insists that the child's name is not related to his work

(Tagstranslate) al corer

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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