May 8, 2015

Dr. Mike Evans’ new YouTube video kicks off campaign to improve child nutrition and health

Mike Evans Video


Viral videomaker and University of Toronto Professor Dr. Mike Evans unveiled his new Whiteboard video at the official campaign launch for the Centre for Child Nutrition & Health at the University of Toronto. In the video, Evans highlights the challenges children and their families face in finding ways to eat healthy, as well as Canada’s growing childhood overweight and obesity problem.

“The Centre is being built to rethink this cascade and build innovative solutions to help kids and their families eat better,” says Evans in the video. As the Centre’s Chair in Patient Engagement in Child Nutrition, he relies on his large online following and well-honed patient engagement skills to help the Centre improve the health of children and families in Canada and around the world.

Watch the new video below:

The video was presented following a preliminary engagement session to set the stage for the Centre’s advisory cuncil. Federal and provincial government officials, including Ontario Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Dr. Bob Bell, senior leaders from the food industry, health-focused NGOs and academic institutions took part in the meeting. Their discussion focused on exploring opportunities for the Centre to have national and international impact in child health.

“The researchers in our Centre, together with our partners across disciplines and sectors, are working hard to answer key questions in child nutrition and health that continue to elude us,” said Dr. Harvey Anderson, the Centre’s executive director and professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. “These answers will help educate our health professionals, inform public policy, support better food production and processing, and improve public awareness and engagement.” 

For his part, Evans will continue to translate new discoveries made by his colleagues at the Centre into engaging educational materials for kids and their families. The Centre will share these resources through online channels, including its website.

“Food has a ripple effect in our society,” he says. “On the one hand, eating habits can lean towards too much, and too unhealthy. But on the other hand, food brings together families, builds communities, and gives us health. The CCNH wants to build a new platform that explores this balance, especially with respect to our kids, and tips it towards health.”

 

To learn more about the Centre for Child Nutrition & Health and how you can support this landmark initiative, visit www.childnutrition.utoronto.ca.