Dr. Kendra Nelson Ferguson receives Children’s Health Research Institute Trainee Award for 2020/2021
- Post by: Megan Graat
- 8:34AM Aug 18, 2020
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Dr. Kendra Nelson Ferguson, a Postdoctoral Associate with the HEAL in the Department of Geography, has received the Children’s Health Research Institute (CHRI) Trainee Award for 2020/2021. The purpose of this award is to support trainees who are involved in child health research.
Dr. Nelson Ferguson’s Postdoctoral research will focus on identifying research-driven solutions to better support youth in navigating their daily food environments.
Poor nutrition is linked to several chronic health issues (i.e., heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes) and is the leading cause of premature death. With less than half of Canadians aged 12 and older eating the recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables, improving dietary behaviours among youth is critical to reducing the risk of such debilitating and costly diseases.
A promising new tool for improving dietary behaviours is the smartphone. Through a mixed-method approach this research project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel smartphone intervention for improving dietary behaviours among youth, called SmartAPPetite. This project will help to identify cost-effective strategies to improve children’s dietary behaviours at a population level, and ultimately improving the overall health of Canadians.