The Quebec government's announced information campaign on avoiding obesity is a good approach, a federal public health official said Tuesday.

On Monday, the provincial government and a private foundation announced they will spend a total of $40 million a year until 2012 to encourage healthier lifestyles, saying obesity contributes to long-term health problems and can precipitate death.

The World Health Organization says people need to eat better, sit less and move more to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases
(CBC)

The World Health Organization says people need to eat better, sit less and move more to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases.

A representative of the group was in Montreal on Tuesday to release a French language version of its 10-year plan to fight the problem.

The WHO estimates chronic diseases accounted for 89 per cent of all deaths in Canada last year.

The UN agency says over the next 10 years, conditions such as cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes will account for economic losses of $9 billion unless things change.

While Canada has been successful in reducing tobacco use, the goal is now to target people at risk of obesity, said Dr. Sylvie Stachenko of the Public Health Agency of Canada, who applauds Quebec's new initiative.

"We need to also have broader policies, to help all Canadians, really, whether they live in urban or rural [settings], to adopt healthy lifestyles," said Stachenko.

"We know that policies are extremely important to help [you] shape your own kind of environment."

Other policies such as food labelling may also help consumers since nutritional information could guide them to better lifestyle choices, she said.