Grant: Operating Grant

The neighbourhoods in which we live and how easily we can access nutritious food (sometimes called the food environment), particularly for our children, can make a difference in children's health. This study will help us understand the food environment for families with children aged 10-13 years in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and its impact on obesity and overweight in children. First, using research tools such as Geographic Information Systems and the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey, this study will show where grocery and convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in Saskatoon are located and how nutritious the foods are that are carried within them. Then, we will ask 2000 children between the ages of 10-13 years in 20 neighbourhoods to participate in a dietary assessment survey. We will also collect information on height and weight in the children. Using these research data we will understand the relationships between diet quality, body weight and the food environment in Saskatoon neighbourhoods. By gathering information on the nutritional health of children living within neighbourhoods in Saskatoon and by linking that to information on the accessibility of healthy food in Saskatoon neighbourhoods, ultimately we hope to support the development of improvements to health policy and practice in Saskatoon, and also provide information that would benefit nutrition and health of children and their families elsewhere.