Katerina Maximova

Research Interests

Katerina Maximova holds the inaugural Murphy Family Foundation Chair in Early Life Interventions at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital and University of Toronto. Dr. Maximova’s research focuses on primary prevention of chronic disease through solutions to improve healthy lifestyle behaviours, particularly for children and youth experiencing poverty. She received several awards, including a Career Development Award in Prevention Research from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, in support of her research program. Previously, she was with the Government of Canada working on policy issues focused on poverty in early life, ‘working poor’ families, income support for low-income families, and family-friendly policies. Currently, she actively collaborates with non-governmental agencies, provincial and federal governments, and the World Health Organization.

• Primary prevention of chronic disease
• School-based interventions to improve lifestyle behaviours (healthy eating, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, smoking, obesity)
• Implementation science in the area of interventions and prevention policies to improve chronic disease risk
• Social determinants of health
• Children and youth
• Comprehensive school health
• Health outcomes in immigrant and refugee populations
• Misperception of chronic disease risk
• Public health systems capacity for chronic disease prevention

Other affiliations

• Scientist, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital
• Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alberta

Current Projects

• K Maximova (PI), PJ Veugelers (co-PI), J Flynn, F Bandali, P Martz, I Dinu, N Willows, S Scott. Disseminating and evaluating ‘best practices’ that promote healthy lifestyle behaviours and mental wellbeing to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on elementary school children in disadvantaged communities. Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Addressing the Wider Health Impacts of COVID-19 (funded 2022-25)
• K. Maximova (PI), PJ Veugelers (co-PI), S Godrich, A Newton, A Ohinmaa, N Willows. Weathering adversity: toward mitigating the impact of prolonged school closure and social isolation on mental health and lifestyle behaviours of elementary school children. Canadian Institutes of Health Research: COVID-19 May 2020 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity (funded 2020-23)
• K. Maximova (PI), PJ Veugelers, S Leatherdale, K Patte. Lifestyle behaviours and mental health in youth. Women & Children’s Health Research Institute (funded 2020-22)
• K. Maximova (PI), J. O’Loughlin (co-PI), G. Paradis, L. Rosella, M-P. Sylvestre. Scaling up public health chronic disease prevention (CDP) innovations. Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Impacts of financial and organizational restructuring of public health (funded 2020-23)
• K. Raine (Lead), K. Maximova (co-Lead), C. Nykiforuk (co-Lead), L.A. Scott, K. Chidester, K. Atkey. Impact of Benchmarking Food Environments on Policies and Actions to Promote Healthy Eating for Reducing Cancer Risk. Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (funded 2016-21)
• P. Veugelers (Lead), A. Ohinmaa (co-Lead), M. Asbridge, K. Maximova, J. McGavock, T.  Nguyen, J.C. Spence, K. Storey, J. Taylor, N. Willows. Return on Investments in Innovative Interventions that Promote Healthy Eating and Active Living among Children. Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (funded 2014-21)

Select Media Coverage

• TIME magazine, October 2008. Sanjay Gupta. “Sizing up your body.” Citation: S. Gupta. Time 2008 Oct; 172(16):74.
• New York Times, April 2012. Tara Parker-Pope. “Are most people in denial about their weight?”
• The Globe & Mail, September 2012. Carly Weeks. “How fat has become the new normal.”
• The Globe & Mail, July 2018. Blair Sanderson. “Enjoy the barbecue, but avoid the burn.”

Select Recent Publications

(* student trainees)

• Maximova K, Marozoff S, Ohinmaa A, Veugelers PJ. “A Dollar a Day May Keep the Doctor Away: Putting Spending on Food and Healthcare on a Scale.” Canadian Health Policy 2022 Feb; ISSN 2562-9492. doi:10.54194/TUFN5875.
• Maximova K, Khan MKA, Dabravolskaj J*, Maunula L, Ohinmaa A, Veugelers PJ. “Perceived changes in lifestyle behaviours and in mental health and wellbeing of elementary school children during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Canada.” Public Health 2022 Jan; 202:35-42. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2021.10.007.
• Sylvestre M-P, Dinkou GDT, Naja M, Riglea M, Pelekanakis A, Bélanger M, Maximova K, Mowat D, Paradis G, O’Loughlin JL. “A longitudinal study of change in substance use from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic in young adults.” The Lancet Regional Health – Americas 2022 Jan; 8: 100168. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2021.100168.
• Maunula L, Dabravolskaj J, Maximova K, Sim S, Willows N, Newton AS, Veugelers PJ. “‘It’s very stressful for children’: Elementary School-Aged Children’s Psychological Wellbeing during COVID-19 in Canada.” Children 2021 Dec; 8(12): 1185. doi:10.3390/children8121185.
• Sim S*, Veugelers PJ, Prowse R, Nykiforuk CIJ, Maximova K. “Unhealthy food options in the school environment are associated with diet quality and body weights of elementary school children in Canada.” Public Health Nutrition 2021 Oct; 24(14): 4572-4581. doi:10.1017/S1368980020004437.
• Lima do Vale MR*, Farmer A, Gokiert R, Ball GDC, Maximova K. “Gaps in Nutrition Policy Implementation in Childcare Centres in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region: A Cross-Sectional Survey.” Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research 2021 Sept; 1-8. doi:10.3148/cjdpr-2021-021.
• Dabravolskaj J*, Khan MKA, Veugelers PJ, Maximova K. “Mental health and wellbeing of 9-12-year-old school children in Northern Canada before the COVID-19 pandemic and after the first lockdown: a repeat cross-sectional study.” International Journal of Public Health 2021 Sept; 66: 1604219. doi:10.3389/ijph.2021.1604219.
• Ekwaru JP, Ohinmaa A, Dabravolskaj J*, Maximova K, Veugelers PJ. “Cost-effectiveness and return on investment of school-based health promotion programs for chronic disease prevention.” European Journal of Public Health 2021 Dec; 31(6): 1183-1189. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckab130.
• Marozoff S*, Veugelers PJ, Dabravolskaj J, Eurich DT, Ye M, Maximova K. “Diet Quality and Health Service Utilization for Depression: A Prospective Investigation of Adults in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project.” Nutrients 2020 Aug; 12(8): 2437. doi: 10.3390/nu12082437.
• Maximova K, Khodayari Moez E*, Dabravolskaj J*, Ferdinands AR*, Dinu I, Lo Siou G, Al Rajabi A, Veugelers PJ. “Co-consumption of Vegetables and Fruit, Whole Grains, and Fiber Reduces the Cancer Risk of Red and Processed Meat in a Large Prospective Cohort of Adults from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project.” Nutrients 2020 Aug; 12(8): 2265; doi:10.3390/nu12082265.
• Ferdinands AR*, Olstad DL, Milford KM, Maximova K, Nykiforuk CIJ, Raine KD. “A Nutrition Report Card on food environments for children and youth: 5 years of experience from Canada.” Public Health Nutrition 2020 Aug; 23(12): 2088-2099. doi: 10.1017/S1368980020000130.
• Loewen OK*, Maximova K, Ekwaru JP, Asbridge M, Ohinmaa A, Veugelers PJ. “Adherence to lifestyle recommendations and ADHD: A population-based study of children aged 10-11 years.” Psychosomatic Medicine 2020 Apr; 82(3): 305-315. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000787. Profiled by American Psychosomatic Society: https://psychosomatic.org/news-release/healthier-lifestyle-habits-for-kids-a-possible-link-with-less-adhd/
• Manousaki D*, Barnett T, Mathieu M-E, Maximova K, Simoneau G, Harnois-Leblanc S, Benedetti A, McGrath J, Henderson M. “Tune out and turn in: The influence of television viewing and sleep on lipid profiles in children.” International Journal of Obesity 2020 May; 44(5): 1173-1184. doi: 10.1038/s41366-020-0527-5.
• Lima do Vale MR*, Ball GDC, Gokiert R, Maximova K, Farmer A. “Implementation of Healthy Eating Interventions in Center Based Childcare: The selection, application, and reporting of theories, models and frameworks (TMFs).” American Journal of Health Promotion 2020 May; 34(4): 402-417. doi: 10.1177/0890117119895951.
• Maximova K, Raine K, Czoli C*, O’Loughlin J, Minkley J*, Tisdale K, Bubela T. “Monitoring progress toward United Nations commitments: characteristics of Canadian legislation to promote tobacco control, physical activity and healthy eating. A descriptive study.” CMAJ Open 2019 Dec; 7(4): E745-E753; doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20190049.
• Gillies (nee Davey) C*, Alexander Research Committee, Farmer A, Maximova K, Willows N. “Alexander First Nations parents’ perceptions of a school nutrition policy.” Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research 2019 Jun 1;81(2):66-71; doi: 10.3148/cjdpr-2019-026.
• Clairman H*, Dettmer E, Buchholz A, Cordeiro K, Ibrahim Q, Maximova K, Toulany A, Taylor V, Katzman D, Morrison K, Hamilton J. “Pathways to Eating in Children and Adolescents with Obesity.” International Journal of Obesity 2019 Jun; 43(6):1193-1201. doi: 10.1038/s41366-018-0271-2.
• Loewen OK*, Maximova K, Ekwaru JP, Faught EL, Asbridge M, Ohinmaa A, Veugelers PJ. “Lifestyle Behavior and Mental Health in Early Adolescence.” Pediatrics 2019 May; 143(5): e20183307; doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-3307.
• Rahman S*, Maximova K, Carson V, Jhangri GS, Veugelers PJ. “Stay in or play out? The influence of weather conditions on physical activity of grade five children in Canada.” Canadian Journal of Public Health 2019 Apr; 110(2): 169-177; doi: 10.17269/s41997-019-00176-6.
• Byrne (nee Avis) JLS*, Wild TC, Maximova K, Browne N*, Holt NL, Cave AL, Martz P, Ellendt C, Ball GDC. “A brief eHealth tool delivered in primary care to help parents prevent childhood obesity: a randomized controlled trial.” Pediatric Obesity 2018 Nov; 13(11): 659-667; doi:10.1111/ijpo.12200.
• Gillies (nee Davey) C*, Alexander Research Committee, Farmer A, Maximova K, Willows N. “First Nations students’ perceptions of school nutrition policy implementation: a mixed methods study.” Nutrition & Dietetics 2018 Nov; 75(5): 533-540; doi: 10.1111/1747-0080.12499.
• Maximova K_, Rakovac I, Loyola Elizondo E, Breda J, Stachenko S. “Toward implementation of the first United Nations time-bound commitment: strengthening noncommunicable disease surveillance in the European region.” Public Health Panorama: Journal of the WHO Regional Office for Europe 2018 Sept; 4(3): 436-446.
• Lee S*, Hanbazaza MA*, Ball GDC, Farmer A, Maximova K, Willows N. “Food insecurity among post-secondary students in developed countries: A narrative review.” British Food Journal 2018 Aug; 120(11) :2660-2680; doi: 10.1108/BFJ-08-2017-0450.
• Perez A*, Yaskina M, Maximova K, Kebbe M*, Peng C, Patil T, Nielsen C, Holt NL, Ho J, Luca P, LaFrance R, Godziuk K, Connors A, Bennett T, Brunet Wood K, Baron T, Ball GDC. “Predicting Enrollment in Multidisciplinary Clinical Care for Pediatric Weight Management.” Journal of Pediatrics 2018 Nov; 202:129-135; doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.06.038.
• Contandriopoulos D, Benoit F, Bryant-Lukosius D, Carrier A, Carter N, Deber R, Duhoux A, Greenhalgh PM, Larouche C, Leclerc B-S, Levy A, Martin-Misener R, Maximova K, McGrail K, Nykiforuk C, Roos N, Schwartz R, Valente TW, Wong S, Lindquist E, Pullen C, Lardeux A, Perroux M. “Structural Analysis of Health-relevant Policy-making Information Exchange Networks in Canada.” Implementation Science 2017 Sept; 12(1): 116; doi: 10.1186/s13012-017-0642-4.
• Anderson LN*, Ball GDC, Birken CS, Buchholz A, Carlsey S, Chanoine J-P, Clairman H*, Dettmer E, Forhan M, Gehring ND, Hadjiyannakis S, Hamilton J, Hanning R, Haines J, Ho J, Holt NL, Kim THM, Legault L, Luca P, Maguire JL, Maximova K, McPherson AC, Morrison KM, Masse LC, Parkin PC, Perez A*, Sprague AE, Toulany A, Tremblay MS, Tu K. “The Team to Address Bariatric Care in Canadian Children (Team ABC3): Team Grant Research Proposal.” BMC Research Notes2017 Oct; 10(1): 301; doi: 10.1186/s13104-017-2506-z.
• Murray K*, Alexander Research Committee, Farmer A, Maximova K, Willows N. “It’s huge in First Nation culture for us, as a school, to be a role model’: Facilitators and Barriers Affecting School Nutrition Policy Implementation in Alexander First Nation.” International Journal of Indigenous Health 2017; 12(2): 43-6; doi: 10.18357/ijih122201717784.
• Hanbazaza MA*, Ball GDC, Farmer A, Maximova K, Willows N. “A comparison of characteristics and food insecurity coping strategies between international and domestic postsecondary students using a food bank located on a university campus.” Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research 2017 Dec; 78(4): 208-211; doi: 10.3148/cjdpr-2017-012.
• Garad Y*, Maximova K, MacKinnon NS, McGrath J, Kozyrskyj AL, Colman I. “Sex-specific differences in the association between childhood adversity and cardiovascular disease in adulthood: evidence from a national cohort study.” Canadian Journal of Cardiology 2017 Aug; 33(8): 1013-1019.
• Setayeshgar S*, Maximova K, Ekwaru JP, Gray-Donald K, Henderson M, Paradis G, Tremblay A, Veugelers PJ. “Diet quality as measured by the Diet Quality Index-International is associated with prospective changes in body fat among Canadian children.” Public Health Nutrition 2017 Feb; 20(3): 456-463.
• Solomon-Krakus S*, Sabiston CM, Brunet J, Castonguay AL, Maximova K, Henderson M. “Body image self-discrepancy and depressive symptoms among early adolescents.” Journal of Adolescent Health 2017 Jan; 60(1): 38-43.
• Setayeshgar S*, Ekwaru JP, Maximova K, Sumit M, Storey K, McGavock JM, Veugelers P. “Dietary intake and prospective changes in cardiometabolic risk factors in children and youth.” Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 2017 Jan; 42(1): 39-45.
• Farahbakhsh J*, Hanbazaza MA*, Ball GDC, Farmer A, Maximova K, Willows N. “Food insecure student clients of a university-based food bank have compromised health, dietary intake and academic quality.” Nutrition & Dietetics 2017 Jan; 74: 67-73; doi: 10.1111/1747-0080.12307. [Awarded Certificate for Nutrition & Dietetics Most Cited Paper for the 2018 Impact Factor period Prize]
• Contandriopoulos D, Hanusaik N, Maximova K, Paradis G, O’Loughlin JL. “Mapping collaborative relations among Canada’s chronic disease prevention organizations.” Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Santé 2016 Aug; 12(1): 101-15.
• Wilke MS*, Maximova K, Henderson M, Levy E, Paradis G, O’Loughlin JL, Tremblay A, Proctor SD. “Adiposity in Children and CVD risk: ApoB48 has a stronger association with central fat than classic lipid markers.” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2016 Jul; 101(7): 2915-22.
• Krasilnikov I, Maximova K, Korotkova A, Stachenko S, Vienonen M, Koistinen V*, Ivanova A, Vohlonen I. “International comparison of intercity differences in premature deaths: PYLL rates in Canada, Finland and Russia 2010.” Health 2016 Jun; 8(9): 818-26.
• Maximova K, Hanusaik N, Kishchuk N, Paradis G, O’Loughlin JL. “Public health strategies promoting physical activity and healthy eating in Canada: are we changing paradigms?” International Journal of Public Health 2016 Jun; 61(5): 565-72.
• Maximova K, Rozen S*, Springett J, Stachenko S. “The use of PYLL for monitoring premature mortality from chronic diseases: Canadian perspectives.” Canadian Journal of Public Health 2016 Jun; 107(2): e202–e204.