Newswise — University of Saskatchewan (U of S) researchers are delving deeper into reasons behind childhood obesity thanks to $665,000 in grants provided through a partnership involving the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Rx&D Health Research Foundation and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Childhood obesity is a growing concern in North America and worldwide. Only 21 per cent of Canadian youth meet international guidelines for physical activity. Should current trends continue, Canada will have a generation of children growing up with poorer health status than their parents.
"We need to address childhood obesity and other chronic diseases that are taking a toll on the health care system and on rising costs associated with a sedentary, overweight Canadian population," said Karen Chad, U of S Acting Vice-President Research, who is also a physical activity researcher. "This funding will help our outstanding researchers better understand childhood obesity and the real reasons behind it."
Today the CIHR announced $1.9 million for five separate Canadian projects that aim to better understand eating and exercise behaviours and explore new ways children can avoid obesity or control it.
Of the five projects, two are being conducted by U of S researchers:
"¢ Nazeem Muhajarine, professor in Community Health and Epidemiology at the College of Medicine, leads a multidisciplinary team to study how urban form and design can impact the physical activity levels of children. Muhajarine is partnering with the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Health Region, school divisions, and others with expertise and knowledge in physical activity, built environment, urban planning, public health, geography, and municipal decision-making.
The group will study the built environment in Saskatoon, for example physical structures like roads and bike paths, location of parks, playgrounds and other amenities, neighbourhood safety, and municipal bylaws and regulations to determine their impact on children's behaviour towards living a healthy lifestyle. This project will not only create new knowledge about physical environments effects on children's health, but lead to local decision-making and inform development of new neighbourhoods that encourage physical activity.
"¢ Barbara von Tigerstrom, assistant professor in the College of Law, will study a recent Canadian incentive aimed at increasing physical activity in children—the Children's Fitness Tax Credit (CFTC) which allows parents to claim a non-refundable tax credit for fees they incur when they enrol their children in physical activity programs.
Her team will evaluate the extent to which the CFTC is likely to achieve its ultimate objective of improving children's health, exploring factors such as public awareness, use of the program, and its impact on decisions about participation in physical activity.
"Controlling obesity and the diseases related to it requires research into wellness strategies that allow individual Canadians—starting especially with our children—to better maintain their personal health through healthy lifestyles," said Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR. "Partnerships with stakeholders play a key role in this regard, and I am very pleased to join with Rx&D Health Research Foundation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and Health Canada to fund these projects."
Other research projects that received funding today include a web-based survey of diet and physical activity among Cree schoolchildren in the Hudson and James Bay regions (University of Waterloo); a study of how family and school environments affect the attempts of overweight adolescents to lose weight (University of British Columbia); and a study into how diet and activity changes by overweight mothers-to-be can reduce the chances of their children becoming overweight (University of Western Ontario).
The CIHR is the federal agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to nearly 12,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. For more information, visit www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
About U of S: Located in the heart of Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan is one of the leading medical doctoral universities in Canada. With 58 degrees, diplomas and certificates in over 100 areas of study, the University is uniquely positioned in the areas of human, animal, and plant studies. World-class research facilities, renowned faculty and award winning students make the U of S a leader in post-secondary education.
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