NutriQuébec: a Web-based Prospective Cohort Study to Monitor the Population's Eating Habits in the Province of Québec.

Overview

The epidemic of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes is attributable in large part to unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity. In the Fall of 2016, the Québec Government launched its first-ever Government Health Prevention Policy (PGPS) to act on a set of factors to improve the health status and quality of life of the population of Quebec and to reduce social inequalities in health. NutriQuébec is a web-based prospective cohort study whose primary aim is to quantify the impact of the implementation of the PGPS on the Québec population's eating habits over the years. NutriQuébec will recruit over the next 3 years 20,000 adults living in the Province of Québec in Canada through a vast multimedia campaign designed to reach different segments of the population, including subgroups with a low socioeconomic status. Participants will be invited to complete on a web-based platform nine core questionnaires on a yearly basis. Questionnaires will assess several dimensions related to lifestyle, including eating habits and physical activity habits, as well as a large number of personal characteristics and global health status. The time course of the changes in eating habits will be analyzed in conjecture with the implementation of the PGPS to quantify its impact at a population level. Data will be analyzed while accounting for sociodemographic weight of participants, to achieve representativeness of the adult Québec population. NutriQuébec will provide essential data for the long-term evaluation of eating habits after Québec's PGPS is launched.

NutriQuébec is an open cohort with continuous and uninterrupted recruitment over the study duration, which is currently funded until 2022. The target sample size is 20,000 adults based on a non-probability sampling. A vast multimedia campaign will be deployed to reach the target population throughout the province of Québec. More specifically, television, radio and print interviews will be organized periodically. Key leading figures in the area of food and health will be solicited to promote the project on various media platforms. The project will also be publicized on social networks, including on the NutriQuébec Facebook page. The Québec Government and several of its community partners will be invited to promote NutriQuébec via their website, newsletters and/or the social networks they use. In addition, recruitment ads will be distributed through several channels, including: 1) email lists from partners and universities in Québec; and 2) public places such as community centers, health institutions and companies. All of the above-mentioned recruitment methods will invite individuals interested in the study to visit the NutriQuébec website for more information and to register. After having created an account on the secured PULSAR platform, each individual will be invited to provide informed consent to participate in the project.Their eligibility (age and address of residence) will be automatically verified at registration. Once registered and having consented, participants will be invited through email to complete the core questionnaires by logging into their personal and secured account. Core questionnaires will be completed on a yearly basis, based on the date of the participants' first registration. These core questionnaires assess lifestyle habits including eating habits, physical activity habits, sleep quality, tobacco, alcohol and drug habits as well as personal characteristics, food security and health status.