Research

Health does not just happen for any of us

Here is what we know:

• 64% of Canadians are considered overweight or obese
• 21% of Canadian adult women and 24% of adult men have hypertension
• 30% of Canadians live with diabetes and 90-95% of those individuals have Type II diabetes

We also know that at least 80% of all heart disease, stroke and type II diabetes and over 40% of cancers could be prevented through adopting healthier lifestyle habits.

How My Viva Plan® Can Help You

We built My Viva Plan® to help you take control of your health!

For you to achieve optimal health outcomes, we have to work together as a team.

My Viva Plan® helps to:

• Support you in your everyday life.
• Personalize your health journey because you are unique.
• Empower you and build your self-esteem and confidence.
• Show you that engaging your mind, fueling your body, and moving your body all impact your mental and physical health.

Why All of This Matters

Mental and physical health do not function independently, they are deeply integrated with one another. While you may need medication or other mental or physical therapies to help manage your health, nothing can ever replace self-care.

The Science Behind MVP

Behavioral Theory:

Behavioural theories are used to develop programs to help improve health outcomes. Many theories have been identified, but as healthcare professionals working with individuals to manage their health, the behavioural theory we have chosen to build My Viva Plan® around is the Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation.

Based on current health statistics in Canada, we know that to improve health outcomes on a large scale, individuals need to become more engaged with their health. The Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation is based on the mechanism of individuals collecting and assessing data about themselves and determining which direction they wish to go. This, combined with the support of an individual’s healthcare team, is how we envision people taking control of their lives and improving their health overall.

Clinical Trials That Include My Viva Plan®:

• Experience and Health Impact of University Students Accessing a Digital Nutrition, Fitness and Mindfulness Platform https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03579264

Observational Studies That Include My Viva Plan®:

• Using a Digital Health Platform to Support Patients with Osteoarthritis (In progress)
• Diabetes prevention in primary care (In progress)

Canadian Practice Guidelines Used:

• Hypertension Canada’s 2020 Comprehensive Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, and Treatment of Hypertension in Adults and Children https://www.onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(20)30191-4/fulltext
• 2016 Canadian Cardiovascular Society Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemia for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in the Adult https://ccs.ca/en/guidelines/guidelines-library
• 2020 Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines https://obesitycanada.ca/guidelines/chapters/
• Canadian Dietary Reference Tables https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/dietary-reference-intakes/tables.html
• Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults https://csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP_PAGuidelines_0-65plus_en.pdf
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/cognitive-behavioural-therapy and https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-37-no-5-2017/self-management-mood-anxiety-disorders-physical-activity-exercise.html
• Diabetes Canada 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada https://www.canadianjournalofdiabetes.com/issue/S1499-2671(17)X0005-1

Other References:

1. Statistics Canada, “Overweight and obese adults, 2018”
2. Statistics Canada, “Blood pressure and hypertension”
3. Diabetes Canada, “Diabetes in Canada”
4. World Health Organization “Overview – Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment”

Accreditation Bodies