Author profile
Ilona Hale, MD, FCFPC
Climate change and associated climate events are now a fact of life. It is predicted that these events and their related health impacts will intensify over the coming years. In British Columbia, events such as the 2021... Read More
Climate change is an “unappreciated mental health emergency” with inequitable impacts.[1,2] Climate-related disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, and heat waves disrupt lives, communities, and access to the land.[2,3]... Read More
As humans, we all experience a certain level of natural insecurity—an inherent worry that drives us to ensure that our basic health needs (food, shelter, and connection) are met. But modern economic, political, and... Read More
“Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without all three, we have no shared reality, and democracy as we know it—and all meaningful human endeavors—are dead.” —Maria Ressa The... Read More
British Columbia is facing a critical health crisis that is inextricably linked to the environment. Extreme weather events like wildfires, heat waves, and droughts are on the rise, impacting public health.[1] These... Read More
The new BC Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines[1] introduce a holistic, family-centred approach to feeding children aged 0–6 years, focusing as much on how to feed as what to feed. The introduction draws attention to... Read More
There is growing awareness that human activity is leading to environmental degradation and global climate change. We are witnessing the symptoms of an increasingly unhealthy planet as wildfires, droughts, floods, and... Read More
The term chronic disease has been defined by several public health agencies, including the CDC and WHO. While somewhat varied, the definitions generally agree that chronic diseases have complex etiologies, are of long... Read More
Background The prevalence of childhood obesity continues to increase in Canada and worldwide, posing a major public health challenge.[1,2] Childhood obesity is complex, with several factors contributing to an... Read More
Ask yourself what you think when you see a person with obesity: healthy, active, motivated? For many people these are not the words that come to mind. Despite societal progress toward reducing discrimination on the... Read More