Before the Obesity Epidemic: The Body Mass Index of Canadians in the First and Second World Wars.

Enlistment medical examinations indicate that Canadian soldiers in the Second World War had a lower Body Mass Index (BMI), or weight adjusted for height, than soldiers in the First World War. This evidence, if representative of Canadian society more generally, implies either that the long-run trend to increasing obesity in Canada did not begin until after 1945 or that the generation that came of age between 1914-1939 had particularly challenging socio-economic experiences. The patterns visible for Quebec differ insofar as BMI was initially lower and remained roughly the same from one war to the other.

Difficulty of healthy eating: a Rasch model approach.

This study aims to measure the difficulty of healthy eating as a single latent construct and, within that, assess which dietary guidelines consumers find more or less difficult to comply with using the Rasch model approach. Participants self-reported their compliance with 12 health-promoting dietary recommendations related to cooking methods and consumption of specific food items. Data were drawn from a survey elicited using a longitudinal consumer panel established in the City of Guelph, Ontario, Canada in 2008.

Understanding the propensity of consumers to comply with dietary guidelines directed at heart health.

The aim of this paper is to explore the difficulty faced by consumers in complying with health-related dietary guidelines, focusing on those guidelines that consumers find it more/less difficult to meet and the factors driving the ability to make associated dietary changes. Participants reported self-assessed compliance with 12 dietary recommendations predominantly directed at reducing the risk of heart disease. The difficulty of complying with each of the dietary guidelines was measured using a Rasch model, while the determinants of ability to comply with the dietary recommendations as a whole were identified using regression analysis.

A multifactorial risk prioritization framework for foodborne pathogens.

We develop a prioritization framework for foodborne risks that considers public health impact as well as three other factors (market impact, consumer risk acceptance and perception, and social sensitivity). Canadian case studies are presented for six pathogen-food combinations: Campylobacter spp. in chicken; Salmonella spp.

Consumer valuation of functional foods and nutraceuticals in Canada. A conjoint study using probiotics.

This paper applied conjoint analysis to elicit consumer preferences over attributes of functional foods and nutraceuticals using probiotics as the functional compound of interest. Data were gathered through a mall intercept survey in Guelph, Canada. Cluster analysis and chi-square tests were used to examine the relationship between respondents' characteristics and preferences for product variants.

Understanding consumer attitudes toward food technologies in Canada.

This article reports a study on consumer attitudes to 21 food and nonfood technologies in Canada. The study involves repertory grid interviews with 36 food consumers, the data from which are analyzed using generalized Procrustes analysis. Results highlight the role of perceived risk and perceived benefit in determining the acceptability of the technologies, with individual technologies lying along a continuum between the two.

Who consumes functional foods and nutraceuticals in Canada? Results of cluster analysis of the 2006 survey of Canadians' demand for food products supporting health and wellness.

This research seeks to identify consumer segments related to consumption of functional food and nutraceutical products in Canada. The segments are differentiated by consumer receptivity to functional foods and nutraceuticals. In turn, receptivity is tied to attitudes, motivations and knowledge related to food/diet and connections with health.

The great transformation: a long-run perspective on physical well-being in Canada.

During the 19th century the physical stature of the Canadian-born stagnated or declined slightly in spite of a substantial increase in income. Stature varied regionally within Canada. The Quebec population was especially short; men in the Atlantic coastal region were taller than their low incomes would lead us to expect.