1) Living Green and Healthy for Teens (LiGHT)
The LiGHT project includes an evaluation of the Aim2Be app, which is being designed to support Canadian youth (10-17 years) and their families in adopting lifelong healthy behaviours. LiGHT focuses on four areas: healthy eating, physical activity, recreational screen time, and sleep. The app content blends best evidence with behaviour change techniques to provide a non-judgemental, tailored and family-focused approach to support youth and their families to reach current Canadian lifestyle recommendations. In various studies, we are evaluating the efficacy, content, and usability of the Aim2Be app.
2) Health and Behaviours in Teens (HABITs)
The overall goal of the study is to understand the impact of transitioning from elementary school (grade 7) to secondary school (grade 8) on students’ health behaviours including physical activity, sedentary activity (e.g., screen time), and eating habits. In addition, we want to examine what factors in the school, home, and social environments impact these behaviours. Finally, we aim to understand how students’ health behaviours are linked to academic performance.
3) A Good Start Matters: Do supportive childcare centre environments, policies and practices enhance physical activity?
In recent years, the BC Government has acknowledged the negative influence that physical inactivity and obesity have on the health of children and youth in Canada. As a response, the Director of Licensing released the Active Play Standards of Practice for Childcare Facilities in 2016. These guidelines provide several recommendations of how to incorporate Active Play in daily routines in childcare environments. To help support the implementation of these Standards, the government also offers communication and capacity-building interventions, such as Appetite to Play. Our lab research group is interested in exploring the impact that the implementation of the Active Play Standards and the use of the intervention materials have on the environment, polices, and practices in childcare settings, as well as on the health behaviours in children.