ABOUT THE DIVERSITY HEALTH FAIR
This is the fifth annual fair hosted presented by AMSSA – the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies & Service Agencies of BC.
This is a free event and families are welcome. A Kid’s Activity Area will be hosted by LEAP BC (Literacy, Education, Activity, Play), a program of 2010 Legacies Now.
There will be…
over 50 exhibitors
70 volunteers
8 languages spoken
entertainment and fitness demonstrations throughout the day
Our goal is to promote healthy living among BC's multicultural communities by:
raising awareness about the importance of a healthy diet and exercise
providing multilingual health information to new immigrants
HEALTH FACTS
Many immigrants are unable to access medical information and services due to language, culture and other barriers.
Immigrants generally arrive in better health than the Canadian-born.
Medical problems may arise as immigrants’ age and adopt behaviours that have negative health impacts (for example: eating an unhealthy diet and not getting enough exercise).
One in 20 people over the age of 12 in Canada have diabetes.
Certain ethnic groups in Canada are at a higher risk for developing diabetes. These groups include people of South Asian, Asian, Latin American and African heritage. Aboriginal Canadians also have higher rates of diabetes.
Education about prevention and self management is critical and The Diversity Health Fair is an important and accessible educational event aimed at new immigrants.
The causes of immigrants’ health problems include the stress of immigration, finding employment, finding housing and lack of a social support network.
Deteriorating health is also linked to socio-economic status, specifically, poverty.
Non-European immigrants are much more likely to have had a substantial weight gain since immigrating.
Non-European immigrants are more likely to work at low paying jobs.
