 ealth
research about obesity in Canada just took another "step" in the right
direction. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and its Institute
of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD), have launched Canada on the
Move, a unique web-based research project that will track how Canadians
use pedometers and the steps they take each day. All adult Canadians can participate
by logging onto www.canadaonthemove.ca.
The goal of the research is to see what can be learned about the role of pedometers
in encouraging physical activity and whether, over time, they are a good support
tool for those who want to get more active. Input from Canadians will be captured
in a national database that can be analysed by expert researchers. The hope
is that thousands of Canadians will log on, register with the program and regularly
report their walking steps to this national initiative in health research. Even
Canadians without pedometers can register and provide valuable information to
researchers about their walking behaviours via a web site survey.
Pedometers, or step counters, are simple devices (with roots in the designs
of Leonardo da Vinci) that can be clipped onto a waistband or belt so the movement
associated with each step is counted. So, the next time you see a walker with
a pedometer, they may well be "donating their steps" to health research.
Under a strategic funding initiative announced in 2002, INMD has set aside
over $3 million annually to fund research projects aimed at the growing epidemic
of obesity in Canada. INMD takes the view that the obesity epidemic can only
be addressed if health research programs encompass all aspects of obesity and
healthy body weight, including social, economic and environmental factors that
contribute to its growing incidence.
Recent studies show that between 1981 and 1996, the numbers of Canadians who
would be classed as either overweight or obese increased from 48 to 57 percent
among men and from 30 to 35 percent among women. Medical practitioners and researchers
use the Body Mass Index (BMI) to classify weight. A BMI between 20 and 25 is
considered a healthy body weight. A BMI equal or greater than 25 is considered
overweight and equal or more than 30 puts a person in the obese category.
Canada on the Move is just one of many innovative projects being funded
by the federal government in the area of obesity or healthy body weight research.
Ultimately, it is INMD's goal to increase the understanding of the measures,
causes, prevention, treatment and consequences of obesity and maintenance of
healthy body weight. CIHR and INMD have a knowledge transfer mandate that will
ensure research findings are shared with the public and health care practitioners
in ways that make a real difference to the lives of people dealing with the
ramifications of overweight or obesity.
For more information about Canada
on the Move
For more information about CIHR and INMD:
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
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This article was prepared by Canada on the Move for the Canadian Health Network.
