Grant: Operating Grant: Programmatic Grants in Food and Health - LOI

Chronic diseases in Canada account for 89% of all deaths and for more than $80 billion in annual healthcare costs. Chronic diseases, however, are by and large preventable. We propose a program of research that focuses on the nutrition of children that will increase our knowledge of 1) How effective current nutrition policies and programs are; 2) How much these policies and programs cost and how much in health care costs will be saved by preventing disease; and 3) What make some policies and programs better than others. Our team is also involved in implementing large scale interventions to prevent chronic diseases, which provides a unique setting to learn from. It also provides the opportunity to 'use' and 'test' the lessons-learned. The proposed work has 6 integrated objectives. The team consists of 9 members with diverse backgrounds. Three young, very talented new professors will play an important role in this research and receive mentorship from the more senior applicants. Upon completion of the research we will know much more about 1) What policies and programs work; 2) How they work; 3) What investments are needed to achieve healthier eating patterns; 4) Whether children that change to healthier diets also experience benefits in terms of better academic performance; and 5) How poor diet affects blood pressure and blood sugars and eventually leads to chronic diseases. Lastly, the research program will develop a computer program that can calculate the costs of all kinds of policies and programs that promote healthy eating. This program will also calculate how many cases of chronic disease can be prevented and how much in health care costs can be saved. This will provide decision makers with the information they need to make the best decisions.