Research with Reach
Research explores food choices, eating habits of teens in rural Alberta
Dr. Alexa Ferdinands partners with teens to study food environments in Drayton Valley
An Athabasca University (AU) researcher is working with teens in rural Alberta to understand food choices that influence eating habits into adulthood.
Food has a huge impact on health, and what we choose to eat is heavily influenced by our food environments, explains Dr. Alexa Ferdinands, an assistant professor in health and nutrition in the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Food environments refer to where we live, but also other social, economic, and political factors that affect choices and eating behaviours.
“All of these aspects are influencing our eating decisions or eating choices,” she said. “They’re influencing how we learn what is even considered to be healthy in the first place.”
Understanding food choices in rural Alberta
Ferdinands, who is also a registered dietitian, said most research into food environments focuses on adults. By working with teens in the Drayton Valley, Alta. area, she hopes to learn more about how eating choices and habits developed earlier in life.
“This research fills an important gap in our understanding.”
She views teens as research partners, collaborating with them from the outset of study design, to results, to how knowledge is used.
“We tend to overlook the wisdom youth have, and their thinking is quite advanced. They have a lot to say and want to be listened to.”
Ferdinands said she wanted to focus her research in the heart of Alberta’s oil patch because food environments are different there than in urban centres, where most studies are based.
For instance, she’s interested in exploring how gender norms affect grocery shopping and food and meal choices.
Food environments in oil-and-gas town
The boom-and-bust cycle of oil-and-gas towns might also affect food choices, as food insecurity could become more pronounced during a bust, she said.
Ferdinands said she’s interested in working with teens in other rural areas, including the North and Indigenous communities. Results could help inform the development of health promotion interventions for youth.
“I think we can kind of find some creative solutions to different public health problems by partnering with youth in the research process.”
Research with Reach
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