Grant: Operating Grant

In developed countries rates of overweight and obesity in children have increased, substantially. Canada is no exception to this trend. Lack of physical activity, too much sedentary time, and poor dietary habits all contribute to unhealthy weight trajectories. Adolescence is a period when many unhealthy behaviours emerge or escalate; most notably these problems are exacerbated during the transition from elementary to secondary school. Our goal is to examine factors that influence adolescents' physical activity, sedentary time, and dietary habits as they transition from elementary to secondary school. Using qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g., interviews, surveys, and direct measures), we will examine changes that occur in the school, household, and social settings during this transition to identify whether and how they influence adolescent behaviours. We will also determine how these health behaviours relate to academic performance. To inform our prospective longitudinal study, we will conduct interviews with 20 adolescents and their parents. These data will identify environmental and social factors that influence adolescents' physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and dietary habits and inform content of evidence-based surveys. Data will be collected from 736 students (49 elementary schools) and one parent before and after students transition from elementary to secondary school. In addition, to better understand and interpret data from questionnaires and direct measures, we will interview 40 student/ parent units before and after the transition. Our findings will provide new insights into how school, household, and social environments contribute to health behaviours during the transition to high school. In future, our data can be used to develop targeted programs to address these factors and encourage more positive behaviours at adolescence. Ultimately, we aim to alter the current trajectory towards increased health risk among Canada's youth.