Department of Community Health Sciences
University of Calgary
Health Canada recommends that individuals cook more often and replace highly processed foods with less processed foods. However, adhering to these recommendations is particularly challenging for individuals who have a lower socioeconomic position. This presentation will describe findings pertaining to the patterning of socioeconomic inequalities in intakes of highly processed foods and minimally processed foods in Canada. Relevant theories and mechanisms of action will be discussed, along with potential policy solutions. Learning objectives include: 1) Understand the current state of inequalities in intakes of highly processed and minimally processed foods in Canada; 2) Understand theories and mechanisms that may explain these inequalities; and 3) Understand potential policy solutions to reduce these inequalities.
Dr. Dana Olstad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary and a Registered Dietitian. She is recognized for expertise in the role of policy in reducing socioeconomic inequities in diet quality and health. Dr. Olstad has been at the forefront of leveraging AI and other advanced analytical techniques to comprehensively document trajectories of dietary inequities in Canada, their impact on the health of marginalized groups, and the mechanisms that undergird these associations. Moreover, she is one of few researchers internationally who are leading RCTs to test the impact of novel policy interventions to reduce food insecurity and dietary and health inequities. She has received several awards for her research achievements, including the 2022 CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes/Canadian Nutrition Society Early Career Researcher Partnership Prize.