HEAL and CHARM: How diet, activity and environment shape health
What we eat, how we move, and where we live, can have powerful impacts on our health.
CanPath has launched two sub-studies, HEAL and CHARM, to help us better understand the health and well-being of people across Canada and the factors that shape it. CanPath participants are helping researchers uncover new insights that support healthier lives and more equitable health outcomes for all.
What is HEAL?
We are excited that Canada’s largest study on dietary intake and movement behaviour has begun! Funded by over $1.8 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the HEAL study (short for HEALthy Eating and Supportive Environments) is re-engaging participants across CanPath’s regional cohorts.
HEAL will examine how dietary intake and movement behaviour are shaped by features of the food and neighbourhood environment among CanPath participants across Canada’s ten provinces. Participants will be asked to complete detailed dietary and activity recalls, and past-year diet and activity reports, social and environmental questionnaires. This participation will be creating one of the richest datasets of its kind.
“In Canada, we have limited contemporary data on dietary intake,” says Dr. Rachel Murphy, co-principal investigator of the HEAL study. “HEAL is unique because it will include detailed dietary and movement behaviour data in a large number of participants across all provinces.”
Behind the scenes, the study represents years of preparation and collaboration across regional cohorts:
“The scope of a national study like HEAL is enormous and requires extensive coordination,” notes Ellen Sweeney, Project Manager with Atlantic PATH. “Even with the robust infrastructure of CanPath and regional cohorts, launching a study of this scale requires years of planning, detailed protocols, and constant alignment on shared goals. The invisible, day-to-day work behind the scenes is what makes these milestones possible.”
What is CHARM?
The CHARM study (short for CHARacterizing Heterogeneity in Dietary Intake Among Structurally Excluded Populations Using Multidimensional Data) builds on the HEAL study.
CHARM will add to the data collected by HEAL through the collection of blood and stool samples, with a special focus on populations that are often left out of health research such as those with lower income, lower education, and people who live in rural areas.
Participants taking part in the HEAL study who enroll in the CHARM study will be asked to give a blood and stool sample. This sample will be given within 2 weeks of completing a 24-hour dietary recall.
“CHARM builds on HEAL through collection of blood and stool samples and metabolic measures,” explains Dr. Murphy. “Together, HEAL and CHARM will build a platform of data that can be used to answer an array of questions on diet and health and inform effective public health policies.”
Why this matters
Studies have shown a link between poor diet quality and the development of some chronic health conditions. Poor diet quality does not affect everyone equally: people from certain communities, such as those with lower education, lower income, or people who face discrimination, often report lower-quality diets.
With the CHARM study, we aim to understand how identity and environment shape dietary intake and influence metabolic health, with a special focus on populations that are often left out of health research, closing critical gaps in knowledge.
“Agreeing to participate in these projects is no small commitment,” says Travis Hrubeniuk of the Manitoba Tomorrow Project, which piloted the study. “But the impact of that commitment is going to be meaningful and long-lasting. A better understanding of how diet, physical activity, and lived environments affect health can shape everything from government policy to how Canada is built in the future.”
And for participants, the value is clear.
“These studies are only possible because of the dedication and commitment of participants,” says Gabriel Hayman, Research Support Staff at Atlantic PATH. “Every individual who takes part plays a vital role in shaping the future of public health research in Canada.”
What’s next?
Participants may be invited to take part in HEAL through their regional cohort and, if eligible, a smaller group will also be invited to join CHARM. If you’re a participant in one of CanPath’s regional cohorts, keep an eye on your inbox for your invitation.
For researchers, HEAL and CHARM will generate an unprecedented data resource. Data is expected to be available to approved researchers in the coming years. Researchers can subscribe to the CanPath newsletter to be the first to know when new datasets are released.
There will be many ways for researchers to use the HEAL and CHARM data. One of the first projects will look at how the types of food outlets near where people live and work, such as fast food restaurants, grocery stores, and sit-down restaurants, may influence what people eat. Insights like these can help inform policies that support healthier food environments and make it easier for everyone to access nutritious choices.
Acknowledgements
The HEAL and CHARM studies are generously supported by an over $1.8 million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and an additional $200,000 from Genome British Columbia.
It is led by Dr. Rachel Murphy at The University of British Columbia. Dr. Murphy is an Associate Professor in population-based nutrition, metabolism, and cancer prevention.
There are three Co-Principal Investigators.
- Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick, from University of Waterloo, is a registered dietitian and Professor, with a focus on dietary patterns and dietary assessment.
- Dr. Jennifer Vena, from Cancer Care Alberta, is the Scientific Director of Alberta’s Tomorrow Project and focuses on behavioural factors for cancer and chronic disease prevention in population studies.
- Dr. Parveen Bhatti, from The University of British Columbia, is a Distinguished Scientist at BC Cancer Research Institute who uses biomarkers to determine how occupational, environmental, and lifestyle factors affect cancer risk.
Dr. Alexandra Pepetone from the University of British Columbia is the Research Project Manager on the HEAL project, and Alyssa Milano from the Cancer Control Research Centre at BC Cancer, is the Research Project Manager on the CHARM project.
For more information, please contact:
Megan Fleming
Communications & Knowledge Translation Officer
Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath)
info@canpath.ca