Canadian Journal of Public Health - Understanding the Forces that Influence Our Eating Habits: What We Know and Need to Know

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Synthesis research reveals need for more knowledge about the determinants of healthy eating

A series of articles, commissioned by the Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion and published in a special supplement to the Canadian Journal of Public Health (CJPH), has highlighted the need for more research into the individual and collective determinants of healthy eating.

The seven peer-reviewed articles, appearing in a supplement to the July/August 2005 issue of the CJPH, reviewed published literature on the determinants of healthy eating. Using the population health approach as a model, these determinants include income, social environments, the natural and built physical environments, age, gender, culture, education, personal health practices and coping skills.

Researchers in applied nutrition, health promotion and population health summarized the research literature as it pertained to children and youth, seniors, Aboriginal people, low-income Canadians, perceptions of healthy eating and the bidirectional relation between mental health and eating behaviour. An overview paper was also prepared that positions the complexity of applied nutrition research in the context of population health and program and policy needs. The objective of this work was to find out what is known and what remains to be learned. Together with evidence on the effectiveness of interventions, better knowledge on the determinants of healthy eating will form the foundation for more effective programs and policies to promote and support healthy eating.

What do we still need to learn?

While the synthesis papers confirmed we know a lot about some determinants of healthy eating, they also revealed gaps in the research literature, including on a range of influences in the social and physical environments. As well, the available literature did not support an examination of the complex interactions across determinants. There is still much to learn so that policy and program decisions better address the complexity of factors that influence eating behaviour.

Some of the many issues that need to be more fully understood include:

• How do advertising and the mass media affect the nutrition knowledge and perceptions of Canadians? How do young people, in particular, act on the ads they see on TV? How does the value and validity of information gleaned through the media compare to information from other sources, such as health professionals, school, family, friends and the food industry?
• What is the relationship between socio-economic status and diet? Studies would need to explore the many aspects of socio-economic status (including income, age, housing, time constraints, nutrition knowledge and ethnic background) to better evaluate their impact on dietary choices and health.
• What are the interactions between individual and collective determinants of healthy eating that are unique to older adults?
• How are the dietary habits of Aboriginal people influenced by concern over pollutants in their local food sources? Fresh and processed foods are costly or scarce for people in remote communities, but do Aboriginal traditions of mutual responsibility and sharing affect how food insecurity impacts food selection?
• What impact do self-esteem and body image have on food selection and eating behaviour? How do dieting and weight loss affect mental health and eating?

The supplement offers a point from which to build and implement a broader strategy for enhancing the evidence base to promote and support healthy eating in Canada. Health Canada is committed to working with its partners to build such a comprehensive research agenda

About the CJPH supplement

In 2003-2004, the ONPP commissioned nutrition and public health experts to conduct comprehensive syntheses of the research literature. In reviewing more than 10 years of Canadian and international studies, their aim was to summarize what is known, and what remains to be learned about the determinants of healthy eating.

In all, more than 20 researchers from universities and research centres were involved in writing or reviewing the papers. A series of summary articles based on the papers is included in a supplement to the July/August 2005 issue of the  Canadian Journal of Public Health (Volume 96, Supplement 3).

Copies of this supplement are available upon request from Health Canada by e-mailing nutrition@hc-sc.gc.ca.