Built Environment, Obesity and Health Strategic Initiative

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and our partners the CIHR Institutes of: Aging (IA); Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH); Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH); Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA); Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD); and Population and Public Health (IPPH) are pleased to launch the Request for Applications in the area of Built Environment, Obesity and Health.

The primary objective of this strategic initiative is to support policy-relevant collaborative projects that advance knowledge and its translation on how the built environment (defined as the outcome of community planning, design and implementation) - in the context of contributing to obesity - is influenced by, and/or impacts on, the following factors:

•    obesity and well-being;
•    policies and standards for community planning, design and implementation;
•    physical activity levels and/or nutrition;
•    social, economic, and policy environment;
•    socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity and age;
•    individual choices and behavior.

25 applications were reviewed, of which 9 were funded.

The successful applications are listed below:

Principal Investigators	Institute	Title	Co-applicants
Barnett, Tracie A.	Sainte-Justine Hospital	Features of the built environment in residential neighbourhoods that influence excess weight and weight related behaviours in a cohort of children at risk for obesity.	Apparicio, Philippe (Institut national de la recherche scientifique); Brice, Stéphane (Ville de Montréal); Daniel, Mark (Université de Montréal); Gauvin, Lise (Université de Montréal); Kestens, Yan (Université de Montréal); Koushik, Anita (Centre de recherche du CHUM); Lambert, Marie (Sainte-Justine Hospital); McGrath, Jennifer J. (Concordia University); Mongeau, Lyne (Ministère de la Santé et des services); Valois, Pascale (CQPP).
Berry, Tanya R.	University of Alberta	A longitudinal examination of the relationship between the built environment, physical activity, and social factors within the Capital Health Region of Alberta.	Blanchard, Christopher (Dalhousie University); Edwards, Joy (Capital Health); Nykiforuk, Candace (University of Alberta); Predy, Gerald (Capital Health); Spence, John C. (University of Alberta).
Brauer, Michael	University of British Columbia	Understanding the impact of the built environment on decisions to cycle as a mode of urban transport.	Becker, Jack (Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition); Davidson, Gavin (TransLink); Hancock, Trevor (Ministry of Health Services); Ho, Cheeying (Smart Growth BC); Keller, Peter (University of Victoria); Setton, Eleanor (University of Victoria); Shoveller, Jean University of British Columbia); Teschke, Kay (University of British Columbia); Winters, Meghan (University of British Columbia).
Faulkner, Guy E. J.; Buliung, Ron	University of Toronto	Built Environment and Active Transport (BEAT).	Adlaf Edward M. (University of Toronto); Fusco, Caroline (University of Toronto); Howard, Donna (Toronto Public Health); Kennedy, Jacky (Green Communities Canada); Salmon, Art (Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion).
Frank, Lawrence	University of British Columbia	Built environment influences on diet, physical activity, and obesity: a transdisciplinary approach.	Cameron, Roy (University of Waterloo); Fisher, Pat (Region of Waterloo Public Health); Raine, Kim (University of Alberta); Thompson, Mary (University of Waterloo).
Lyons, Renée F.; Grant, Jill L.	Dalhousie University	Optimizing investments in the built environment to reduce youth obesity.	Arthur, Michael H. (Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection); Blanchard, Chris (Dalhousie University); Chircop, Andrea M (Dalhousie University); Dummer, Trevor J. B. (IWK Health Centre); Kirk, Sara F. L. (Dalhousie University); Manuel, Patricia M. (Dalhousie University); Parker, Louise (Dalhousie University); Pitter, Robert (Acadia University); Rainham, Daniel G. C. (University of Ottawa); Rehman, Laurene A. (Dalhousie University); Shields, Christopher A. (Acadia University).
Nykiforuk, Candace I. J.	University of Alberta	Obesity prevention and the built environment: examining opportunities and barriers in four Alberta communities.	Raine, Kim (University of Alberta); Schopflocher, Don (Alberta Health and Wellness); Vallianatos, Helen (University of Alberta); Spence, John (University of Alberta); Plotnikoff, Ron (University of Alberta).
Spence, John C.	University of Alberta	A longitudinal study of environmental determinants of overweight among children: the SHAPEs of things to come.	Ball, Geoff D. C. (University of Alberta); Boule, Normand (University of Alberta); Frank, Lawrence D. (University of British Columbia); Predy, Gerald N. (Capital Health); Veugelers, Paul J. (University of Alberta).
Teschke, Kay	University of British Columbia	Bicyclists' Injuries and the Cycling Environment (the BICE study).	Babul, Shelina (BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit); Becker, Jack (Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition); Brubacher, Jeff (Vancouver General Hospital); Chipman, Mary (University of Toronto); Cripton, Peter (University of British Columbia); Cusimano, Michael (University of Toronto); Fenton, Bonnie (City of Vancouver); Friedman, Steven (University of Toronto); Harris, Anne (University of British Columbia); Hay, David (Richard Buell Sutton Barristers and Solicitors); Hunte, Garth (St. Paul’s Hospital); Reynolds, Conor (University of British Columbia); Stary, Peter (City of Vancouver); Tomlinson, David (Transportation Services); Wentworth, Barbara (City of Toronto).

Please see the following documents for more details on the initiative:

Project Summaries

Request for Applications

For more information please contact:
Ann Nguyen
Information/Project Coordinator
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Phone: 613.569.4361 ext. 268
anguyen@hsf.ca

Last Updated ( Thursday, 08 October 2009 )