Date of Award
10-5-2017
Publication Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
M.H.K.
Department
Kinesiology
Keywords
Children, Community, Indigenous, Northern Fruit and Vegetable, Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour
Supervisor
Woodruff, Sarah
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity (PA), and sedentary behaviour within Indigenous and Non-Indigenous students in grades 5-8 from northern Ontario, Canada. Students (N=872) from 34 schools within the catchment area of Porcupine Health Unit completed the Northern Fruit and Vegetable Program Evaluation survey in May, 2016. The odds of participants having a higher fruit and vegetable intake was lower among (1) those living in remote locations compared to urban locations (OR = -1.299 (95% CI: - 2.336, -0.240), p <0.05) and (2) Indigenous, compared to White, participants (OR = -.674 (95% CI: -1.336, -.0120), p = 0.05); in addition to no associations among ethnicity, location and PA/sedentary behaviour. Among Indigenous participants, those living in remote locations consumed statistically significant less fruit and vegetables (compared to urban and rural; F(2, 128) = 3.780, p = 0.025), and were less physically active (compared to urban and rural; F(2, 121) = 4.724, p = 0.011). There were no statistical differences observed by school location and meeting the sedentary behaviour guidelines for Indigenous populations. Although there were some statistically significant findings pertaining to fruit and vegetable intake among students in northern communities in Ontario, the health behaviours of all participants within this study were concerning. In the future, health interventions are needed to address low fruit and vegetable intake, PA, and sedentary behaviours of children and adolescents. Support through funding opportunities (pertaining to increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables provided to schools) is needed, and it is necessary to advocate for more PA and sedentary behaviour education.
Recommended Citation
Paton, Christian O'neil, "AN ASSESSMENT OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR AMONG INDIGENOUS AND NON-INDIGENOUS STUDENTS FROM NORTHERN ONTARIO" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 7287.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7287