Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

In Canada, nearly one-third of adults have obesity increasing their risk for other chronic diseases. Weight management programs focus on changes to health behaviours such as diet and exercise. Current obesity guidelines recommend personalizing weight management programs to improve long-term health behaviour change. One way to personalize weight management programs may be through personalized dietary intake recommendations from measured resting metabolic rate (RMR). RMR is energy used by the body at rest and accounts for 70% of an individual's energy use. With advances in mobile health technology, RMR can now be measured using a portable device in a healthcare or home environment. Measuring RMR in weight management programs may also improve one's knowledge about metabolism. However, the feasibility and acceptability of portable metabolism measuring devices has not been assessed and there are no tools to measure one's metabolism knowledge. My research will: 1) Validate a metabolism knowledge survey using best practices in survey design, 2) Assess accuracy, feasibility, and acceptability of measuring RMR at-home with a portable device in people with and without obesity, and 3) Interview patients and dieticians about their experience using a portable device to measure RMR in a weight-loss program. The goal of my research is to bridge metabolism research with healthcare practice.