James Sallis, 2012 prize winner

Q&A with James Sallis

Location, location, location
Where we live has an impact on our level of physical activity.

Professor James Sallis, a distinguished professor in Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, is a leading expert in the field of policy and environmental influences on physical activity, nutrition and obesity. His groundbreaking work and commitment to promoting active health through practical interventions and advocacy earned him the 2012 Bloomberg Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health. In advance of his visit to McGill to receive his award, we spoke with Prof. Sallis about his research and its impact.

(McGill) How did your background as a trained psychologist lead you to your current research?

(James Sallis) During the early years of my research, I was interested in understanding the role peoples’ motivations and other psychological factors play in an individual’s ability to adopt and maintain a physical activity regimen. These studies led me to conclude that a complex set of psychological and environmental factors are at play and that if we are to be successful in changing behaviour over the long term, we must modify how we plan and build our neighbourhoods. In recent years, I have focused my energies on studying how the design of our communities, transportation systems and parks can help people re-integrate fitness into their daily lives and have worked to gain buy-in for change from government agencies and industries. My goal is not to use my research to point the finger, but to point the direction to solutions.

(M) Why has our environment only recently been recognized as a contributing factor to physical inactivity?

(JS) As members of the human species, we are living the dream of our ancestors: to eliminate back-breaking work. The inventions we have made and the industries we have created have all been aimed at making our lives easier. Consider all the labour saving devices we have in our homes and the high-tech toys that provide us with entertainment. And the neighbourhoods we have built have been designed around the automobile, rather than around walking and other forms of physical activity. We have now reached a point where what we have created is literally killing us! Chronic disease related to physical activity is now a global pandemic that is responsible for about 5 million deaths every year. Since we are not going to reverse this trend by eliminating computers and washing machines, or by making other changes at our homes and workplaces, we must re-think our transportation and recreation infrastructures and make them more conducive to physical ativity.

(M) Are there communities that are successfully working to move in this direction?

(JS) Yes there are. Northern European countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Finland have been pioneers in developing alternatives to an automobile-centric urban infrastructure. In fact, there are now so many bicyclists that some cities are having problems with bike path congestion. Here in North America, New York City has made impressive headway. Its mayor convenes an annual summit, where various departments (Health, Parks etc.) outline initiatives that have included the creation of more parks and the introduction of protected bike paths. Even in car-dominated Los Angeles, neighbouring Long Beach has been named the most bicycle-friendly city in America.

(M) What can the average person do to help make their community more conducive to physical activity?

(JS) There are many things you can do. If your neighbourhood doesn’t have sidewalks or lacks park facilities, I encourage you to lobby your local government. And if you are a parent, you can find out what types of physical activities your children are involved in at school. If the school hasn’t already done so, suggest that it implement the SPARK (Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids) program, which conducts a popular series of workshops for teachers and physical activity experts. There is no one solution to the problem of inactivity, but when many people make themselves heard, change does come.

(M) What does it mean to have been named the winner of the Bloomberg Manulife Prize?

(JS) For someone involved in research related to physical activity, I consider this award to be the equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

CBC covers today's prize launch

As CBC points out, this prize couldn't come at a more vital time:

"Only about 15 per cent of adults and seven per cent of children move enough to get substantial health benefits, Statistics Canada said in January.

Earlier targets of 90 minutes daily for youth ages five to 17, and 30-60 minutes daily for adults have been lowered to 60 minutes for youth and 150 minutes a week for adults."

Read their article here

Globe and Mail article on the Bloomberg Manulife Prize

A great article in Canada's national paper today, The Globe and Mail, which talks about the prize and interviews its co-founder, Lawrence Bloomberg, and Hélène Perrault, dean of McGill’s Faculty of Education

Mr. Bloomberg, 68 and in great shape, explains why he felt a research prize was the best way to support this area of health and well-being, and gives us a glimpse into his own healthy lifestyle.

“It makes me feel good,” he said. “I do it at a pace that I think anyone can do.”
Read the full article here

Meet the founders: Lawrence Bloomberg and Manulife Financial

Both Lawrence Bloomberg and Manulife Financial have pledged one million dollars (CAD) to this prize over the next ten years. Here's a little bit about who they are and what they stand for:

Lawrence S. Bloomberg is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of BloombergSen Inc., a Director of the National Bank of Canada and serves as an Advisor to National Bank Financial, where he was formerly Co-Chairman. 

A Chartered Financial Analyst, who holds a B.Com from Sir George Williams University and an MBA from McGill University, Mr. Bloomberg has had a long and distinguished career in the financial services sector. In 1979 he founded First Marathon Inc. and

served as its CEO until 1999, when it was purchased by the National Bank of Canada and merged with its brokerage arm, Levesque Beaubien Geoffrion to create National Bank Financial. 

Throughout his career, Mr. Bloomberg has been actively involved in community initiatives, including many related to health. He is Chairman of Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital and a past Chairman of its The Best Medicine fundraising campaign; past Co-Chairman of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network and the Founder and Director of MaRS (Medical and Related Sciences Discovery District). 

Mr. Bloomberg’s long list of impressive philanthropic contributions include: the naming of The Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto and the Lawrence and Frances Bloomberg Center Women’s and Infants’ Health at Mount Sinai Hospital and the endowed Lawrence Bloomberg Chair in Accountancy at Concordia University. He was honoured with the Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Association of Professional Fundraisers in 2003, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Concordia University and the University of Toronto. He was recently presented with the prestigious Order of Ontario, in recognition of his volunteerism and philanthropic contributions to healthcare, innovation and education.

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Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group, operating in 22 countries and territories worldwide. For more than 120 years, clients around the globe have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. 

In keeping with these values, Manulife has a strong culture of corporate social responsibility, giving back to the communities where they do business. Among other awards, they have been honoured nine consecutive years as a “Caring Company” by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. Manulife also recently renewed its long-term sponsorship of the Manulife Centre for Children with Specific Learning Disabilities (MCCSLD). 

As part of Manulife’s corporate giving strategy, the company and its staff dedicate thousands of volunteer hours, as well as substantial financial support, to building stronger communities, promoting health and wellness, enhancing environmental sustainability and harnessing the power of volunteering in the community. 

Recent projects include tree-planting initiatives, emergency relief and renewable energy schemes.

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