Revised Health Canada guide expected to be completed by spring 2006
BY LORI BONA HUNT
Should Canadians really be eating five to 12 servings of grain products a day? What constitutes a serving of meat? Is Canada's Food Guide an effective tool for the average person?
These are just some of the questions that Prof. John Dwyer, Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, may be helping to answer in the coming months. He's one of 12 people across the country chosen by Health Canada to serve on its external Food Guide Advisory Committee.
The committee is part of the team working to revise Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating. Dwyer and the other members will be providing advice and guidance to the federal agency's Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion throughout the revision process.
“I think it's a wonderful group to be a part of,” says Dwyer. “I'm delighted to have been selected and glad that they think I can make a contribution. After all, this is one of the most widely distributed documents in the country, second only to the income tax guide.”
In 2002, Health Canada initiated a review of the food guide, saying the science surrounding diet and health has evolved since the document was first released in the early 1990s. In 2002, the federal agency announced it would be revising the guide to address issues such as serving sizes and ranges, food groups and energy balance, and messaging and communication. The revision, which is expected to be completed by spring 2006, has involved research, surveys and consultations, including with the advisory committee.
“Health Canada is working with a lot of stakeholders in this process,” Dwyer says. “I expect there will be a lot of good feedback from these consultations. This will help shape what the final food guide looks like.”
Health Canada sought input from various agencies in selecting members for the advisory group, with a goal of having broad and diverse representation. The committee is made up of academics, food industry representatives and research and program analysts. Dwyer was chosen for his expertise in program evaluation.
“I'm not a registered dietitian,” he says. “What I bring to the table are ideas about how to do research that will provide good information to help improve programs and so on.”
Dwyer, who joined U of G in 2002, started his career as a program evaluation specialist in a public health unit.
“I spent 10 years doing research with managers and staff to improve their programs, which ranged from healthy lifestyle to environmental health.”
He was a member of the provincial committee that created and evaluated the Eat Smart! healthy restaurant program.
He also has a cross-appointment as a healthy lifestyle consultant in Hamilton's Public Health and Community Services.
Dwyer's current research focuses on community nutrition and physical activity programs, particularly for children and teens. He is working with a team, including colleague Prof. Susan Evers, that is examining Ontario's child nutrition programs. He is also collaborating with researchers at the University of Toronto to identify and address barriers that may be preventing adolescents from taking part in physical activity programs.
