Dietary intake assessment at the population level is the cornerstone of developing evidence-based and comprehensive national nutrition guidelines. Identifying dietary intakes and the eating patterns of Canadians is also important for outlining targeted strategies to prevent or mitigate the effect of chronic diseases in Canada.
OUR RESEARCH GOALS
The overarching goal of our dietary intakes research at the L’Abbé Lab is to gain a better understanding of the current state of dietary intake and diet quality among different population subgroups in Canada, and to critically evaluate dietary factors and their combinations (i.e. dietary patterns) responsible for the risk of obesity and other chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes) at the population level. With the findings generated from our lab, we work with policymakers, non-profit organizations and the academic sector to position crucial evidence on Canadians’ dietary intakes at the forefront of policymaking and public health program creation.
STUDIES FROM OUR LAB
The L’Abbé Lab has conducted several studies to evaluate the dietary intakes of Canadians, critically evaluate dietary guidelines, and address the potential errors inherent in self-reported dietary intakes in the context of obesity research.
Some of our more recent academic publications include:
- Identification of an Obesogenic Dietary Pattern Using Partial Least Squares in a Nationally-Representative Sample of Canadian Adults
- Assessing the Prevalence of Inadequate Intakes of Nutrients of Canadian Adults and Children and Adolescents: Results from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2015.
- Evaluating Diet Quality of Canadian Adults Using Health Canada’s Surveillance Tool Tier System: Findings from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition
- Changes in the Dietary Patterns of Canadian Adults and Likelihood of Obesity: Results from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition, Cycles 2004 and 2015
- Adapting the Healthy Eating Index 2010 for the Canadian Population: Evidence from the Canadian Community Health Survey
- Identification of Dietary Patterns Associated With Obesity in a Nationally Representative Survey of Canadian Adults: Application of a Priori, Hybrid, and Simplified Dietary Pattern Techniques
Currently, we are assessing the beverage intakes of the national population. More studies regarding analyses of national nutrition surveys are underway.