Engaging youth in food environment research in Canada
December 3, 2025 | 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Time: 12:00 - 13:00 ET (12:00pm - 1:00pm ET)
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Speaker: Alexa Ferdinands, RD, PhD (University of Alberta)
Webinar description:
Food environments encompass the physical, social, economic, and political factors that shape how and what people eat. Increasingly, researchers and practitioners recognize that these environments have a profound influence on youths’ health and nutrition. Yet, much of the existing research has been conducted from adults’ perspectives, often overlooking youths’ lived experiences and ideas. This webinar will explore key gaps and emerging opportunities in youth food environment research in Canada and share practical strategies for meaningfully engaging youth as partners in this work. Examples of youth-engaged research will illustrate how principles of co-creation can be applied in practice.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:
- Explain what food environments are and how they shape youth health.
- Discuss key gaps and opportunities in youth food environment research in Canada.
- Identify practical strategies for engaging youth in food environment research.
Moderator: Melissa Fernandez, PhD, RD (University of Ottawa)
About the Speaker:
Dr. Alexa Ferdinands is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Human Nutrition at the University of Alberta and a Registered Dietitian. She is also a Scientist with the Centre for Healthy Communities in the School of Public Health. Dr. Ferdinands completed her PhD in Health Promotion and Socio-Behavioural Sciences at the University of Alberta as a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar. Her doctoral research engaged youth in co-creating recommendations for healthcare providers, educators, and parents to reduce weight stigma among young people. She later completed a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, where she collaborated with a rural community to examine the implementation and impacts of a municipally funded postsecondary tuition assistance program. Currently, her community-engaged research program focuses on partnering with youth to generate evidence on food environments and inform health-promoting action.
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