We’re excited to invite you to participate in the biggest dietary intake and physical activity data collection effort in Canada: the HEALthy Eating and Supportive Environments (HEAL) study! HEAL is a study across the regions that make up the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath). HEAL will consider how features of where you live, such as the types of food outlets close to you and how walkable your neighbourhood is, can affect what you eat and your physical activities.
The HEAL study is being rolled out across Canada. Participants are being invited at different times. If you haven’t been contacted yet, don’t worry, your invitation is still on its way.
What is the HEAL study?
The HEAL study is exploring:
- How dietary intake is linked with the environment, like whether healthy foods are accessible within communities, provinces, and across Canada.
- Whether links between dietary intake and features of food environments are associated with other factors like physical activity and how walkable a neighbourhood is.
To answer these questions, we are asking you to give us information about what you eat and drink and your daily activities at a few different times of the year, and using a few different types of tools.
The detailed information on diet and daily activities can be used in the future by other researchers to investigate associations with health outcomes, including chronic diseases like cancer.
What is the CHARM study?
While HEAL focuses on helping us understand how food and neighbourhood environments can influence what we eat and how we move, CHARM—CHARacterizing heterogeneity in dietary intake among structurally excluded populations using Multidimensional data study—explores how what we eat, particularly the consumption of processed foods, may influence our metabolic health. Together, these studies aim to develop public health policies that are informative and promote inclusive dietary guidance for all people in Canada.
Study progress
- 1,575people participating in the HEAL study
- 1,67124-hour dietary questionnaires completed
- 1,56724-hour daily activities questionnaires completed
Data is being collected from 6 regions (ATP, BCGP, HFS, MTP, OHS, and Atlantic PATH). BCGP and MTP are currently collecting data. The other 4 regions will start collecting data in the fall 2025.
CARTaGENE: data collected previously will be used. New data is not being collected as part of the HEAL study.
Participant user guides
To help you complete your questionnaires, here are step-by-step guides:
ASA24 User Guide (24-hour dietary questionnaire)Download ACT24 User Guide (24-hour daily activities questionnaire)DownloadThese downloadable PDFs walk you through each section and offer tips to make the process easier and faster.
Frequently asked questions
Why should I take part in the HEAL study?
Diet and physical activity are cornerstones of health. The HEAL study will consider environmental characteristics, such as the types of food outlets close to you and how walkable your neighbourhood is, which can affect what you eat and your daily activities. Help us to collect data to better understand how environments can support healthy eating and physical activity in Canada.
What will I be asked to do?
We will ask you to complete several online surveys over a year, covering your diet, daily activities, health, and environmental factors. You will be invited for these surveys on timelines specific to your region. If you’re unsure how to complete a questionnaire, refer to the ASA24 or ACT24 user guides for step-by-step support, or reach out to your region.
When is the study happening?
Data collection is happening now and will continue through 2027. You will be invited at different times based on your region. Initial data analysis will occur by 2028.
Why are we being asked to fill out multiple surveys?
Your daily meals, drinks, and activities aren’t always the same. By reporting them at different points in time, you help us capture a more complete picture. There are also some things that we eat and activities that we do infrequently or seasonally, such as having barbecues in the summer or skiing in the winter. By asking you to report on your diet and activities in different ways and at different times, we capture various types of information and can get a more complete picture. Worried that what you report on one day is different from a typical day? That’s okay! We are asking you to report things on a few different days, so we get a better picture of what ‘usual’ is for you. You are also part of a group of thousands of diverse participants completing the HEAL study, and we want to know about what makes your diet and daily activities unique.
What will the data be used for?
The data will be used to understand how the environment impact dietary intake, like stores selling healthy foods in your community, and how the food environment differs across Canada. The data will also be used to study how dietary intake and food environments, together, are influenced by other factors like the walkability of your neighbourhood, your physical activity, and other individual factors (e.g., employment). In the future, this data will help us understand the relationships between diet and physical activity and health outcomes, including chronic diseases like cancer or diabetes.
Why do the ASA24 and ACT24 recalls take so long to complete?
We know the ASA24 dietary questionnaire can feel long. That’s because it’s designed to give a very detailed picture of everything you ate and drank the prior day. To do this accurately, the system needs to ask follow-up questions about portion sizes, how foods were prepared, and what ingredients were included. For example, a sandwich can be made in many ways, with different breads, fillings, and condiments, and each version is different from a nutrition perspective. The extra questions help make sure we get it right. We’ve all heard “the devil is in the details,” and research will only be able to ask detailed questions about diet and cancer or chronic disease if they have this detailed data available to use.
Similarly, each person’s activity throughout the day is different, and the ACT24 questionnaire is designed to give a full picture of how you spent your day from when you woke up to when you went to bed. Things like walking the dog, watching TV, or doing chores are all important. We know your time is valuable, and we really appreciate you sticking with the questionnaires. Your responses help improve research on health and wellbeing for your generation and future generations too. Thank you!
How can I learn about the results of the study?
The study’s results will be shared by the regions and CanPath through their websites, newsletters, publications, presentations, and social media. At the end of the study, you will receive a report summarizing the diet and physical activity information you provided.
Consent and privacy
Can I be provided with a copy of my informed consent form?
Yes, of course! Please connect with your regional cohort to receive a copy.
What happens if I choose not to participate or to withdraw from the study early?
Participating in this study is completely voluntary. Your participation in your region will not be affected based on whether you participate in the HEAL study. If, for any reason, you no longer wish to participate in the study, you may end your participation at any time. You can do this by notifying your region. You will remain a valued participant in your region going forward.
Who can access the data that HEAL collects?
Like all data we collect from you, these data will be held by your region. CanPath will also have a de-identified copy, meaning it doesn’t contain your personal information, such as your name, date of birth and address. Researchers who wish to access the data will apply through the standard processes at your region and CanPath. Only approved investigators will have access to the data.
How will the HEAL study research data stay protected?
CanPath and its regions have built a solid data governance, protection, and security foundation. We have stringent application review processes and are committed to protecting participant data. The data will be hosted securely at your region, and CanPath will also hold a de-identified copy at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. In the future, these data will be securely hosted in CanPath’s trusted, cloud-based research environment.