Our Vision

Inspiring Healthier BC Families

Our Mission

Generation Health offers targeted community and clinical programs dedicated to supporting families with children and youth on their journey towards healthy living. Families build the foundation for health by focusing on active living, healthy eating, family connections, screen time, sleep, and mental well-being.

Our Story

Generation Health Clinic

Generation Health Clinic, formerly known as Shapedown BC, started as a pilot in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority in 2003. As a result of the promising health outcomes, the BC Ministry of Health established the program at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) in 2006. In 2013, delivery of the program model at BCCH by regional health authorities began. The program has since expanded geographically, culturally and virtually.

Generation Health Clinic incorporates evidence-based, current best practices guided by Canadian medical, nutrition, psychological standards and physical activity guidelines.

Our teams support children/teens and their families in making healthy living changes in an inclusive interdisciplinary setting. The program is founded on the principle that a child’s family environment has a significant impact on their health, well-being, and capacity to engage in healthy living behaviours. As such, parents/caregivers are required to participate and healthy living changes are encouraged for the whole family.

Generation Health Community

In 2017, the Province of BC provided funding to the Childhood Healthy Living Foundation (formerly the Childhood Obesity Foundation) to develop, implement, and evaluate a prototype childhood healthy weights early intervention program.

The program was designed using:

1. An evidence-based approach. It builds on published research evidence and five years of detailed evidence and experience implementing childhood healthy weight programs in BC. Past outcome and process evaluation data collected from families, delivery teams, and partners helped inform the design. A comprehensive market research study provided further insights into the interests and preferences of BC families.
2. A collaborative approach. The curriculum was designed based on a community stakeholder consultation undertaken in 2017-2018 that involved over 300 health and recreation stakeholders across five health regions. Physical activity, mental health experts, and a registered dietician ensured the program aligned with the evidence and existing childhood healthy weights programs, e.g., Shapedown BC and the HealthLink BC Eating and Activity Program for Kids.