Background: Evidence suggests that children and adolescents growing up in low-income families and those with underrepresented ethnocultural backgrounds tend to have high prevalence rates of obesity and more difficulty adhering to childhood obesity interventions. However, less is known about how intergenerational, family-based approaches to…

Negative attitudes and beliefs about individuals with obesity (also known as weight bias) have negative consequences for physical and mental health for individuals with obesity and impact the quality of care provided by health professionals. A preliminary environmental scan of college and university training programs was conducted consisting of 67…

Healthy eating is important to overall health, but Canadian health agencies disagree on the degree to which lifestyle or society determines healthy eating. The authors review the literature and design a policy analysis framework that captures discursive elements of both arguments. They apply this framework to education policy, analysing the…

Epidemiological data construct the population of Newfoundland and Labrador as being one of the most obese populations in Canada. The concern for child and youth health is particularly pertinent within school culture and places teachers in precarious positions where they are being asked to share in shaping healthy lifestyle messages while also…

This exploratory mixed methods case study examined the use of distance education technology for lifestyle change within the context of obesity treatment and weight management. In the quantitative phase of the study, 19 adults involved in an obesity-related lifestyle change program or change process completed a questionnaire that determined their…

The worldwide rise in obesity makes this the first non-infectious epidemic in human history. The rapid increase is, in fact, influenced more by environment than biology. In an effort to halt the trend, Quebec has launched a major awareness-raising campaign that focuses on healthy environments and targets stakeholders in schools, municipalities,…

Objectives: (1) To investigate weight gain in first-year university students; and (2) to examine whether environmental and psychological factors, specifically accommodation and stress, predict weight gain. Methods: Eighty-four first-year university students (77 per cent female) were weighed and completed the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck…

An epidemic of obesity has been developing in virtually all OECD countries over the last 30 years. Existing evidence provides strong suggestions that such epidemic has affected certain social groups more than others. In particular, education appears to be associated with a lower likelihood of obesity, especially among women. A range of analyses of…

It is obviously possible to argue that education is always an arm of social policy. However, there are just as surely degrees of directness between the agendas of noneducational authorities and what happens in school and university classrooms. This article considers what appears to be a direct example of a particular public policy agenda, the…

Intended for use by fitness instructors, coaches, nutritionists, and other program leaders, this five-section manual covers topics ranging from curriculum guides for elementary school children to dietary regimes used by professional athletes. The role of nutrients and the use of Canada's Food Guide are reviewed briefly in the first section.…