DIABETES

OTTAWA The Global Village Dissemination Project (GVDP) started in 1998 with the Hispanic community of the City of London, Ontario. Afterwards, this initiative became a model that was used in various ethnocultural communities in Canada (South Asian, African, Cambodian) and was implemented in Calgary, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Halifax, Vancouver, Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa. A pilot project took place in 2003, with the support of the Ethnocultural Counsel of Canada (CEC), where health professionals and community leaders were trained in order to disseminate the program and put it into action within the different ethnocultural communities with the highest risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes. Projenesis was chosen as the organization that would implement the program within the Latin American community. In 2006, two events for Diabetes testing and risk management took place in Ottawa. These events were organized by Projenesis, in partnership with GVDP. These events generated a positive impact in the Hispanic community of the Ottawa region. From then on, the Latin American Diabetes Program has been lending its services to the Latin American community, thanks to the financial support of various organizations. This program has been taking place in alliance with the Community Diabetes Education Program of Ottawa, the Centretown Community Health Centre, Ottawa Public Health and the Canadian Diabetes Organization.

MY FAMILY AND I

OTTAWA - LONDON “My family and I” is an educational program that aims to prevent overweight and obesity in children from 6 to 12 years of age in the Hispanic community. The main goals are to improve and promote healthier eating habits and a more active life in children and their families. This project was developed between 2008 and 2010 in partnership with the YMCA YKidsFit Program. Different sessions were organized in which Latin American families with children between 6 and 12 years of age were invited to come in. The focus of the first session was to measure the children’s waist circumference, height and weight in order to calculate their BMI (Body Mass Index). If a risk of overweight or obesity was identified in the children, their families were invited to participate in the “My Family and I” program for a duration of 6 months. Among the activities included were a monthly follow up appointment with a health promoter, mini cooking classes for kids, and physical activity. 200 children and their families participated in this wonderful project, which was funded by Global Village.

HEALTHY SENIORS

OTTAWA “Healthy Seniors, healthy lives for all” is a health promotion program that was developed for Hispanic individuals who are older than 50 years of age. The program was developed in 2004 with the support of Salvaide, and it continues to be implemented in conjunction with the Club Casa de los Abuelos de Ottawa. The program was incorporated into the health promotion campaign “Age Well for the Health of it”, which was aimed at elderly individuals in Ottawa, promoted by Successful Aging Ottawa and Heart Beat Ottawa. These organizations sponsored and supported the program “Healthy Seniors”. The first campaign, “Healthy seniors, healthy life” took place at the end of 2004. Afterward, in 2005 there was a second cycle of educational talks. The program included various health workshops about health promotion and illness prevention, nutritional topics, stress management, diabetes, dental hygiene and physical activity. There are various workshops organized annually by Projenesis for the Club Casa de los Abuelos, related to various topics of interest related to promoting a healthy life and a better quality of life.

HEALTHY HISPANICS IN

LONDON

LONDON This program consists in workshops dedicated to provide information and improve accessibility to health-related services for the Hispanic community in London, Ontario. Participants obtain a  better understanding about preventive medicine through the workshops, and they get to know different ways to deal with health issues they could have. This program has counted with the support of Sun Life Financial in London.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN

LONDON

LONDON In 2011, there was a research study called “Physical activity among Latino children in London, Ontario: An assessment of physical activity levels, sedentary behaviours, and physical activity-related barriers and facilitators”. This project consisted in inviting Latin American children between the ages of 10 and 14 years of age, to participate in an assessment of physical activity and sedentary behaviours. This study was conducted by Dr. Shawna Burke and her colleagues at the University of Western Ontario (UWO). The study was conducted in a joined strategy with Projenesis in London. The goal of this project consisted in getting to know the current physical activity levels and sedentary behaviours, as well as barriers to sporting facilities, which affect children in this community. Approximately 50 children were selected and they used an accelerometer for 4 days straight.

PROGRAMS

 Since 2004 Projenesis has developed various programs for the Hispanic community in Ottawa, which focus on the promotion of healthier habits and a healthier lifestyle for the Latin community. Some of these programs include Healthy Seniors, My family and I (prevention of overweight and obesity among children from 6 to 12 years of age), and the Latin American Diabetes Program.