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20 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 8, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com GRADING THE INDICATORS: Oakville's Vital Signs is an annual community check-up through which The Community Foundation of Oakville measures the vitality of our Town by identifying significant trends and assigning grades in 11 key areas critical to Oakville's quality of life. Oakville's Vital Signs is based on a project of the Toronto Community Foundation and is coordinated nationally by Community Foundations of Canada. We invited and engaged members of the Oakville community, both at the professional and citizen level, to help us grade how Oakville is doing on each of the indicators. Though the survey was not scientific, and does not claim to be a representative sample of the town population, it is important in sparking discussion.The grading survey was completed online and with close to 600 respondents completing the survey, we believe it is a meaningful representation of people's opinions. The graders were asked to evaluate each indicator based on the following scale: A: Oakville is doing great! Keep up the good work. B: We're doing well, but we still have some improvements to make. C: Satisfactory, but there is a need for more attention to this issue. D: It's a concern, and we need to do something about it right away. F: We're doing very poorly, and the situation is critical. WHO IS THE CFO? The Community Foundation of Oakville is about connecting good people with good causes. We are a locally run charitable organization that helps individuals, families and organizations give back to their community by establishing endowment funds in support of charitable organizations and initiatives. But that's not all we do. The Community Foundation is also about bringing people together to find inspired solutions to local issues. We're "big picture" people -- looking to bring together creative thinkers and problem solvers from all sectors to understand the challenges and opportunities in our community and move ideas to action. Established in 1994, The Community Foundation of Oakville is one of more than 155 community foundations in Canada today. In 2007, we granted $1.6 million, and have granted more than $11 million since inception. We have worked with dozens of local organizations and here are just a few of the initiatives we're proud to partner with and support: Oakville Hospital Foundation Kerr Street Ministries Big Brothers Big Sisters Halton Learning Foundation Oakville YMCA WHY WE DID IT The Community Foundation of Oakville has undertaken Oakville's Vital Signs in order to increase awareness and encourage discussion around areas of importance in our Town. We hope that this report will identify both areas of need in our community as well as those assets and strengths which we must continue to nurture and maintain. As an organization that works to build a healthier, more vibrant community, the Community Foundation of Oakville will use this report in looking for opportunities to bring people and organizations together and assist us in our grant-making to work towards making Oakville a wonderful place for all its residents. CONTACT: If you're interested in getting involved in your community, or would like to know more about Oakville's Vital Signs, we'd love to hear from you! Please visit our website or drop us a line. W: www.oakvillesvitalsigns.ca P: 905.845.5489 E: amiskey@thecfo.org For more information about The Community of Oakville visit www.thecfo.org Heritage Trails Oak Park Moms and Tots Oakwood Public School Oakville Symphony United Way of Oakville All residents should have the ability to attain complete physical, mental, and social well-being. YOUTH AT RISK FOR DEPRESSION {C-} 10% of grade 10 students and 4.4% of grade 7 students in Oakville were found to be at risk for depression in 2006. In the rest of Halton, the numbers were 10.7% and 6.2% respectively for the same year. BREAST CANCER {C-} From 2000 to 2004, Halton women faced a higher incidence of breast cancer, as well as a higher rate of death from breast cancer than the Ontario average. In 2005 in Oakville, 76.9% of women between the age of 50 and 74 had regular mammogram screenings, compared to 81.1% of women in Halton, and 70.4% of women in Ontario. PHYSICIANS PER 100,000 {D+} In 2005 there were 138 physicians (general / family practitioners and specialists) per 100,000 people in Oakville (Halton Regional Health Unit), down 5.5% from 146 in 2000. In Ontario overall, the number of physicians per 100,000 went from 181 to 177 during that same time period. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY {C+} In 2007, 54.3% of the population aged 12 and over in Oakville reported being physically active or moderately active, up slightly from 53.7% in 2005. The 2007 level was higher than the provincial level (48.8%) and higher than the national level (49.0%). Being physically active is defined as 30 minutes or more of medium intensity physical activity on most if not all the days of the week. Jogging or attending exercise classes would be examples of medium intensity activities. The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has an objective to get 40% of adults and 60% of youth physically active by 2010. OBESITY {D+} Between 2003 and 2007, the obesity rate in people 18 years or older in Halton increased from 13.1% to 16.3%. Across Ontario, the rate went from 14.8% to 16.1% in that same time. Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher. HEALTH C AND WELLNESS