16. Change BC & Metabolic Syndrome Canada: Co-creating/Adapting Nutrition Education Resources for Northern BC

Project Title

Co-creating/Adapting Nutrition Education Resources for Northern BC

CHANGE BC, partnered with Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice

Organization Information

Organization Name

CHANGE BC, partnered with Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice

Mission and Vision of Organization

Metabolic Syndrome Canada

Metabolic Syndrome Canada (MetSC) is a not-for-profit organization spearheaded by a group of leading health experts from across the country — practicing family physicians, medical researchers, dietetic specialists and kinesiologists — who are determined to find a better way. Founded in 2011, MetSC has a clear mission: improve the long-term health of Canadians through effective diet and exercise lifestyle intervention. In collaboration with innovative business minds, MetSC has created a program for family medicine clinics that reverses metabolic syndrome and prevents progression to serious conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

CHANGE BC

CHANGE is a team-based approach of integrating nutrition and exercise interventions into primary care networks. By adding dietitians and kinesiologists into primary care settings to work collaboratively alongside family doctors, we can support patients through an effective yet personalized program. CHANGE BC is lead by an experienced group of researchers, health professionals, and health administrators collaborating to implement an innovative approach to treating patients with metabolic syndrome.

Contact Information

Primary Contact Person(s): Dena Ferretti & Colleen Enns, She, Her
Email: dferretti@pnwdivisionbc.ca
Phone: 250-615-1333
Address: 5025 Graham Ave, Terrace, BC
Website: https://www.changebc.net/

Preferred Method of Contact

Best method(s) to contact: Email, Phone
Best day(s) to contact: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
Best time(s) to contact: Mornings

Preferred Platform(s) for Remote Collaboration

Email, Phone, Zoom

Project Description

Note: This project will take place online

Context: What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

CHANGE BC is a transformative, innovative new program offered in Primary Care by family physicians in collaboration with Dietitians and Kinesiologists alike. Our program is offered face-to-face across 7 communities. With your support we would like to adapt our nutrition materials to become more regional and culturally-relevant to the Pacific Northwest. Once our resource materials are updated, our next step will be to adapt content to an online platform(s) to allow our participants to catch up on teachings they missed, or to review content they need more support on.

Our current resources are based on the Mediterranean diet, however, we would like to incorporate more culturally-relevant food preferences/practices in our resources. We recognize that resource development requires dedicated time that we, as a team, struggle to find. LFS 350 students will help us update our resources to reflect the most current best practices in dietetics. Additionally, we welcome a fresh lens in making our resources relevant to multi-generational participants.

Main Project Activities and Deliverables

Literature review/grey scan of regional/cultural foods for Pacific Northwest
Literature review / grey scan of Mediterranean diet and adaptation to Pacific Northwest
Media creation (e.g. infographics)
Group presentation to share learnings and newly created media

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

Knowledge of Interest in Metabolic Syndrome and Primary Care work an asset
Group presentation skills and development of engaging presentations an asset
Knowledge or interest in Pacific Northwest traditional foods
Knowledge or interest in Northern and Indigenous food systems
Knowledge of interest in the Northern food access context

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

Not at this time

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

No

How much self-direction is expected from the students?

Deciding on the project deliverable(s) Led by community partner
Developing the activity plan and timeline Equal leadership between students and community partner
Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.) Equal leadership between students and community partner
Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups) Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
Finalizing the deliverable(s) Mostly led by community partner, with some student input

Preferred Days of Week and Hours

Flexible

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

If the students find themselves up in the Pacific Northwest during their academic year, we would gladly find volunteer opportunities alongside the dietitian.

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review the following materials prior to the first partner meeting. Additional orientation materials may be provided at the first partner meeting.

Review the following websites:

Additional Materials

Phull, Surinder, Wills, Wendy and Dickinson, Angela (2015). The Mediterranean diet: socio-cultural relevance for contemporary health promotion. The Open Public Health Journal, 8. pp. 35-40. doi 10.2174/1874944501508010035
BC Centre for Disease Control resources on healthy eating
First Nations Health Authority Traditional Foods Fact Sheets
First Nations Health Authority Healthy Food Guidelines
Alberta Health Services nutrition education resources
Lyiscott, Jamila (2019). Black Appetite. White Food. Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom. Available at UBC Library.

Expected Outcomes

Intended Short-term Project Outcome

CHANGE BC has updated resources (reflecting regional/culturally relevant foods) to better support patients with Metabolic Syndrome to make healthier choices to improve their health outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Through this project, I think students will learn about...

The rich and diverse cultures of the Haida, Tsmishian and Haisla peoples
Metabolic Syndrome Primary Care Networks

By working on this project, I think students will develop skills and/or awareness of...

Translating knowledge for different audiences
Developing infographics
Developing presentations for a diverse group

By the end of the project, I believe students will come to appreciate...

The uniqueness of the Pacific Northwest and the need for cultural foods/ingredients and how preferences/practices vary widely across the region

Community Projects