Abstract B74: Raising healthy youth: Using the Manitoba Youth Health Survey to identify predictive factors of childhood obesity
Authors: Griffith Jane , Erickson Tannis , Fradette Katherine , Bucher Oliver , Leggett Carly , McGarry Kate , Harland Elizabeth 
Published: January 2014

In 2006, schools, communities and regional health authorities (RHAs) in Manitoba, Canada recognized the need for local risk factor surveillance data, and formed Partners in Planning for Healthy Living (PPHL) to pool in kind human resources, financial support and expertise in the pursuit of this common goal. PPHL was established as a network of partners involving collaboration with all Manitoba's RHAs, Manitoba Education, Manitoba Healthy Living (Healthy Schools program), Healthy Child Manitoba, Manitoba Health, NGOs, Manitoba Physical Education Supervisors' Association and the Public Health Agency of Canada Manitoba/Saskatchewan division.

Between 2005 and 2008, PPHL implemented the Youth Health Survey (YHS) to explore the physical activity, healthy eating, BMI, tobacco use, substance use and school connectedness of Manitoba's youth. The survey was administered to students in grades 6-12 at more than 400 schools across Manitoba including First Nations, francophone and independent schools (n= 48,449). Local-level reports were provided to schools, school divisions and RHAs.

The YHS data has been used extensively by schools, regional health authorities and other community health partners to help in planning and implementing healthy school policies and programs with support from Manitoba Healthy Living, RHAs and other community partners. The data has also provided a baseline for the evaluation of the recently implemented Grades 11 and 12 Active Healthy Lifestyles: Physical Education/Health Education curriculum. Secondary analysis of the data has recently begun to delve deeper into the relationships among the variables.

One of the key areas of analysis is childhood obesity and its related factors. Obesity and its causes are major contributing factors to the development of certain cancers. Childhood obesity rates are rising at an alarming pace and as such, the development of programs aimed at curbing this rise is of primary importance to PPHL and its members. Recent research has provided information on the lifelong risks of childhood obesity which leads to healthy eating and adequate physical activity being top priorities in Manitoba.

The purpose of our study is to identify factors related to and contributing to obesity levels of the children and youth who participated in the Manitoba YHS.

A multilevel logistic regression approach with students nested within schools will be used to investigate both student- and school-level factors associated with (1) being underweight vs. a healthy weight and (2) being overweight vs. a healthy weight.

Partners working and learning together has strengthened and developed relationships between health, education and communities. The partnerships have been critical to improving the health of our students in MB. The second cycle of the YHS will be implemented in all Manitoba schools this fall (2012).

Citation Format: Jane Griffith, Tannis Erickson, Katherine Fradette, Oliver Bucher, Carly Leggett, Kate McGarry, Elizabeth Harland. Raising healthy youth: Using the Manitoba Youth Health Survey to identify predictive factors of childhood obesity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B74.