Page 2 - Middlesex_County_FINAL_forAccessibility

Background on the County of Middlesex
Healthy Kids Community Challenge
Community Needs Assessment

Ontario’s Healthy Kids Community Challenge (The Challenge) is a community‐led program where partners
from different sectors (e.g. public health, education, recreation and local businesses) work together to
implement activities to promote healthy living for children aged 12 years and under.

Under the leadership of municipalities, selected communities have received funding and supports from the
Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care (MOHLTC). The County of Middlesex is one of 45 communities
selected to participate in The Challenge. The County and its partners will utilize a $525,000 provincial grant
to promote healthy living for local children between now and March 2018.

Communities are asked to develop Theme‐Based Action plans. These plans will be based on one specific
theme related to healthy eating, physical activity and adequate sleep every 9 months. Themes selected will
address the risk or protective factors that are known to lead to or prevent childhood overweight and obesity.

Each community is required to complete a Community Needs Assessment and submit it to the MOHLTC as
one of their first program deliverables. The Community Needs Assessment is aimed at providing
communities with the necessary information to build targeted and evidence‐informed Theme‐Based Action
Plans. This Community Needs Assessment will help communities to identify needs, gaps, resources,
opportunities, and assets to support planning and delivery of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge to
achieve the program’s target outcomes.

Community Needs Assessment Report

In order to solidify knowledge and understanding gained through the process of the Community Needs
Assessment, a final report with a concise summary of key findings has been developed.

This report contains for the County of Middlesex the following information represented as an infographic:

 Socio‐cultural
 Built environment (physical activity, food, social)
 Healthy eating and healthy living statistics for children aged 9‐13 years

This report contains for each Municipality the following information represented as an infographic:

 Socio‐cultural
 Early Development Instrument
 Built environment (physical activity, food, social)

This report also provides maps per Municipality visually displaying locations of the following:

 Food (including variety stores, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, seasonal fruit and vegetables)
 Physical Activity (including sports fields, conservation areas, parks, and recreation centres)
 Health Resources (including primary care providers)
 Social Environment (including places of worship, libraries, schools, early years and child care centres)