Food for Thought

fft_logo ARCHIVE 2009: Food for Thought: Healthy Choices Project

Through the Food for Thought project, Independent Living Canada created accessible tools on healthy eating, with funding provided by the Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Contribution Program, Centre for Health Promotion, Public Health Agency of Canada. These tools included program models exploring how food can be used as a vehicle to connect people, resources on physical activity and strategies to reduce social isolation, and barriers to healthy eating.

Research was an important part of this initiative as it provided a grounded understanding of the community's needs with respect to healthy eating. Using Participatory Action Research (PAR), barriers and solutions related to healthy eating and persons with disabilities were identified and new programs implemented based on community needs. Participants (referred to as “consumers” within the IL network) worked with their local Independent Living Centres throughout the course of this project to design and test various program models. This report reflects research conducted in the final phase (wrap-up) of the Food For Thought project. This phase allowed consumers to reflect back on the project and outline future strategies to help facilitate healthy eating for persons with disabilities. As project activities were based on initial information gathered from consumers, this research was also an opportunity to reflect on what was designed and implemented and the degree to which it met consumer needs.