Grant: Operating Grant: Data Analysis Using Existing CDN Databases and Cohorts

For the past 4 years, our team has been studying the impact of cycling and walking trails on the health of people living in urban areas. We discovered that when cities build trails, people use them. In Winnipeg, over 1.6M people were counted on four large cycling trails since their construction. The trails also are linked to better health outcomes in adults. Unfortunately, these trails were not constructed in an equitable way. First Nations and Métis children and adolescents living in Winnipeg were less likely to have access to the trails. First Nations and Métis children and adolescents also also fare more likely to experience mental health disorders. We will leverage the databases used to make previous discoveries about urban trails to address several important questions related to the urban built environment that support physical activity (PA) and mental health for children and adolescents generally, than focus on equity for First Nations and Métis children and adolescents living in Winnipeg. First we will try to answer the questions: Does building an urban PA trail in a neighbourhood, lead to lower rates of mental health problems for children and adolescents. Then, to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Call to Action #19 our team of Indigenous organizations, Indigenous scholars, Elders, policy makers and scientists will made inequities in mental health worse for First Nations and Métis youth. Using a community-based participatory approach, we will address UNDRIP articles #23 and 24 by identifying parts of the urban environment in that support PA to see if they protect urban First Nations and Métis children and adolescents from mental health disorders. This information could help guide city planners and engineers when designing and implementing the next generation of urban trails in Canadian cities, by maximizing the health potential and equity.