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Message from the Scientific Director
Mandate
Background
Goal 1
Strategies, Actions, Outcomes
Goal 2
Strategies, Actions, Outcomes
Goal 3
Strategies, Actions, Outcomes
Timelines
Partnership Strategy
Performance Indicators
Contributions to a National Health Research Agenda
Contact Information
These are truly revolutionary times for health research in Canada. The creation of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the 13 "virtual" Institutes has been an incredible stimulus for consideration of our collective health research priorities and how best to achieve them.
To identify priority areas, the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes invited input from the research community, policy makers, health charities and other stakeholders (INMD Charting Our Course: A National Consulation on Strategic Directions). In October 2001, the INMD's Advisory Board identified "Obesity Research: Towards Healthy Body Weight for Canadians" as our primary strategic priority for 2002. In December 2001, participants from a broad range of perspectives contributed to A National Dialogue on Healthy Body Weights where they began a discussion of needs and gaps in our knowledge about obesity and healthy body weight.
This Strategic Plan outlines the initial goals and objectives for INMD's strategic focus on obesity and healthy body weight. Actions, outcomes and a tentative timeline have been developed, along with a framework describing plans for evaluation of the outcomes. This strategic plan also describes our intent to develop partnerships with other organizations in various sectors, to further a mutual goal of reducing the burden associated with obesity and obesity-related diseases.
It is our hope that through our strategic focus, we can gain new insight into the solutions needed to address the problem of obesity, an important and neglected public health problem. While this strategic plan is focused on our current identified priority, the INMD will also continue to develop programs and opportunities in other areas of our mandate, with the help of our partners and stakeholders.
I welcome your comments on these plans and on our activities.
Sincerely,
Dr. Diane Finegood, PhD
The INMD supports research to enhance health in relation to diet, digestion, excretion, and metabolism; and to address causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions and problems associated with hormone, digestive system, kidney, and liver function.
The Institute Advisory Board (IAB) envisions the Institute serving investigators, practitioners, policy makers and the Canadian public through strategies that build capacity and foster excellence in health research. Our goal is to increase inter- and multi- disciplinary research in keeping with our vision and mandate to improve strategies for health promotion, disease prevention and care.
The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide and reaching epidemic proportions in industrialized countries1. According to the Canadian Heart Health Surveys, close to half of adult Canadians are overweight and 1 in 6 is obese2. Canadian children are also becoming progressively overweight and obese3.
In order to effectively address the problem of obesity, we need a thorough understanding of its causes, prevention, treatment and consequences. Despite significant recent advancements towards unraveling the complexity of obesity, there still remain a large number of unanswered questions. There is strong evidence for a genetic component to human obesity4. Multiple systems regulate energy homeostatis5,6 and a number of genes associated with human obesity have been identified7. Yet the genetic component of this condition cannot explain the near tripling in the prevalence of obesity in Canada since 19858.
Environmental factors and social forces undoubtedly play a role in the development of obesity, especially among vulnerable populations. Factors that raise energy intake include the low price and greater availability of high-energy density foods, marketing of larger portion sizes and the consumption of more fast and convenience foods9. Declining physical activity, due to changes in the way we work, where we live and how we play, has led to a decrease in energy expenditure10,11. Although the simple balance of energy intake minus energy used determines energy stores, successful achievement and maintenance of weight loss is relatively rare. Research must advance our knowledge in order to fully understand the homeostatic mechanisms regulating body weight and to place these into the context of the human-environment interface.
Overweight and obesity are related to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease12,13; obesity is also an independent risk factor for increased mortality14. There is growing evidence that a 5-10% decrease in body weight can effectively decrease the risk of developing diabetes15 and the risk factors associated with other chronic diseases16. Despite the benefits of achieving and maintaining healthy body weight, clinical and environmental interventions have yet to slow the rise in the prevalence of obesity in North America. Research that illuminates how physiological and behavioural factors affect the determinants of energy balance will be critical for the development and implementation of effective prevention and treatment programs. The effect of health services and public policy on food and physical activity-related behavious also needs to be understood.
Researchers are only just begnning to understand the mysteries of this complex condition. Through implementation of this strategic plan, we hope to challenge scientists working across a wide range of disciplines to help develop an understanding of the mechanisms underlying the epidemic of obesity. New knowledge is required to inform the activities of health professionals, policy makers, and the Canadian public in the prevention and treatment of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
Increase Understanding of the measures, causes, prevention, treatment and consequences of obesity, and maintenance of healthy body weights, through the application of innovative approaches.
| Strategies | Actions | Outcomes | |
| 1 | Foster cross-theme research in obesity and healthy body weight with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach. |
Fund workshop and planning grants to support the development of research groups. Fund applications to support interdependent teams of researchers working together on research questions relevant to obesity/healthy body weight |
Increase in the number of workshops and planning meetings organized to support multi- and cross-theme interactions. Increase in the number of teams addressing problems relevant to obesity/ healthy body weight. |
| 2 | Increase the capacity of the Canadian health research community to tackle the problem of obesity and the maintenance of healthy body weight. |
Fund applications to support training programs for undergraduate and professional students, students in postgraduate degree programs, postdoctoral trainees and postgraduate training for health professionals, researchers or academics. Fund applications to facilitate recruitment of outstanding health reserachers in the field of obesity/ healthy body weight from outside of Canada. Fund applications to support expertise and skills development for established researchers. Fund applications to support interdependent teams of new and established researchers working together on research questions relevant to obesity/healthy body weight. |
Increase in the number of researchers in Canada addressing problems relevant to obesity/ healthy body weight. |
| 3 | Promote excellent and innovative research contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the area of obesity/healthy body weight. |
Fund innovative, high-risk pilot project applications for research. Fund highly ranked grant applications submitted to, but not funded in, the open competition. Fund applications supporting interdependent teams of researchers doing excellent and innovative cross theme research. |
Increase in the number of independent investigators and groups of investigators conducting research in the area of obesity/ healthy body weight. |
| 4 | Partner with other agencies and Institues to fund obesity/healthy body weight research and training. | Develop partnerships with organizations having the mutual goal of reducing the burden associated with obesity and obesity-related diseases. | Increase in co-funded grants and awards. |
Increase understanding of obesity/ healthy body weights in Canada through surveillance of:
| Strategies | Actions | Outcomes | |
| 1 | Assess the utility of current and planned databases. |
Commission research into currently existing databases and their potential to yield relevant obesity/ healthy body weight data, and to identify key issues and challenges for enhancing access. Hold a forum of key stakeholders to discuss: gaps/ improvements in current and proposed data and measures, enhancing accessibility to current data, and potential partnerships. |
Increase in awareness and access to relevant surveillance data. Increase in understanding of surveillance data potential and needs. |
| 2 | Partner with other agencies/ Institutes on surveillance. |
Develop linkages with Health Canada/ Statistics Canada and other orgranizations with the mutual goal of improved surveillance of obesity in Canada. Co-fund surveillance projects that include components related to obesity/ healthy body weight. |
Adequate surveillance to provide Candian data. Increase in suveillance data analysis. |
| 3 | Support the analysis of existing and emerging Canadian surveillance data. | Develop a strategic research initiative (Request for Applications) with partners, to fund applications proposing analysis of Canadian obesity/ healthy body weight surveillance data. | Increase in surveillance data analysis. |
Identify and promote utilization of health service and environment policies for preventing obesity and promoting healthy eating, active living and other factors affecting healthy body weights.
| Strategies | Actions | Outcomes | |
| 1 | Assess national and international policies relevant to obesity/ healthy body weight |
Commission research into health service and environment policies influencing body weight, food choices, and physical activity. Commission research into the influence of policy on other lifestyle behavious (e.g. use of alcohol or tobacco). |
Increased knowledge of what works where, at what cost, and identification of policy gaps. |
| 2 | Support research to determine effectiveness of new an/ or changed policy. | Develop a research initiative (Request for Applications) with partners, to fund pilot projects proposing to determine effectiveness of new and/ or changed policy. | Identification of effective policy interventions. |
| 3 | Support knowledge translation of effective policy. | Co-host a forum for researchers, stakeholders and policy makers. | Increase policy maker understanding of the impact of policies on obesity and healthy body weight. |
For our goal of increased understanding through surveillance, discussion has already been initiated with Health Canada, Statistics Canada and other CIHR Institues including the Institute of Population and Public Health. In 2002, we expect to co-fund commissioned research into currently existing databases and a US-Canada survey with questions relevant to obesity and chronic disease. Planning will also begin in 2002 towards a forum of key stakeholders in suveillance with a view to a meeting in late 2002, early 2003.
Towards our goal of identifying and promoting policy relevant to preventing obesity and promoting healthy lifestyle behavious, we are in discussion with the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Canadian Population Health Initiative regarding a joint effort to commission research in the policy area. Planning and partnership development will also begin in 2002 towards co-funding research and knowledge translation activities.
This strategic plan is intended to guide the activities of the INMD for the coming year. In 2003, we will consider our progress, review our goals, actions and strategies, and determine future priorities consistent with our mandate and vision.During its first year of operation, the INMD developed several successful funding partnerships with health charities and other CIHR Institutes. The Canadian Diabetes Association, Kidney Foundation of Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the CIHR Institutes of Circulatory and Respiratory Health, and Gender and Health joined with INMD to fund six New Emerging Teams in Chronic Disease. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRFI), and the CIHR Institutes of Infection and Immunity and Human Development, Child and Youth Health joined with INMD to fund two NET programs in Type 1 Diabetes. We also worked with many CIHR Institutes and others to co-fund 9 Training Program Grants.
In the current year, partnership development has led to two additional RFAs. In partnership with the CIHR Institute of Aboriginal People's Health we have called for research applications in diabetes with relevance to aboriginal people. In partnership with Health Canada, we are calling for applications in conjunction with the National Diabetes Surveillance System.
With the development of the strategic focus on obesity/ healthy body weight we intend to invite a broad range of potential partners to work with the INMD to increase our collective understanding of the ways in which we can successfully reduce the burden of obesity and obesity related disease. We anticipate that successful partnerships will be developed with stakeholders in various sectors including government, health charities, industry (e.g. fitness, food, pharmaceutical), and other non-governmental organizations. Partnership development will be a key focus for INMD for the rest of 2002, and well into 2003.
While this strategic paln is focused on our identified priority of obesity/ healthy body weight research, INMD also welcomes and invites partnership development with stakeholders in other areas covered by the INMD mandate. Currently, the Institute is working on partnerships in areas as diverse as stem cells and diabetes, to grants and awards in digestive health.
INMD looks forward to working with our many potential partners who have goals that intersect with our strategic priority and our mandate.
Through its goals, strategies and actions, the INMD will help shape a national health research agenda for Canada by aligning with the five CIHR pathways identified as key to an effective, successful national effort.
1. Outstanding Research
2. People/ Research Capacity
3. Parterships & Public Engagement
4. Translation & Use of Knowledge
5. Organizational Excellence
| Canadian Institutes of Health Research |
410 Laurier Avenue |
| Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes | Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6 |
| Inquiries | Telephone: 604-291-3055 Fax: 604-291-3055 inmd@sfu.ca |
| Contacts | Diane T. Finegood, PhD Scientific Director finegood@sfu.ca Susan Crawford, PhD |
