A team including researchers from Brock University, McMaster University and The UWI is looking at issues around health and sustainable living.
MONDAY, JULY 08, 2024 | by Cathy Majtenyi
The Brock News
Almost three-quarters of deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide can be traced back to a lack of physical movement and proper nutrition, a trend that worries Sujane Kandasamy.
While advice like eating better and exercising to avoid NCDs such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers can seem simple, the Child and Youth Studies postdoctoral fellow says these behaviour changes don’t take place in a vacuum.
“Climate change and poor land-use planning can affect the price and supply of food and the availability of shaded outdoor spaces for exercise,” says Kandasamy. “We need to address these and other factors by taking an integrated approach to improving global health, with youth at the helm because they are the agents of change. We need to act now to prepare for our future health.”
Kandasamy and Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Matt Kwan are part of an international research team that will study the integration of health interventions with climate change mitigation and environmental protection efforts in Hamilton, Ont.; Calgary, Alta.; and Kingston, Jamaica.
The research team aims to design, implement and evaluate a Sustainability Healthy Active Living (SHAL) program in each of the three locations. Local youth will serve as co-researchers in each SHAL group, which will also include representatives from government, education, places of worship, and advocacy and community organizations.
These groups will create knowledge and activities supporting sustainable practices, such as recycling or creating home and community gardens, as well as healthy, active living, such as consuming fewer ultra-processed foods or walking and bicycling instead of driving where possible.
Source: The Brock News
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