Starting in late 2025, ATP, along with other CanPath regional cohorts, will be inviting participants to contribute to the largest and most comprehensive Diet & Physical Activity data collection in Canadian history.

Visit the CanPath HEAL information page to stay up to date with the other CanPath regional cohorts on their progress with the HEAL study!

On this page:

• What is the purpose of the Diet and Physical Activity project (HEAL)?
• Why is this important?
• What to expect?
• About the diet and activity surveys?
• Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the Diet and Physical Activity project (HEAL)?

This project aims to collect diet and activity data that can be used to support a wide range of research into cancer and chronic diseases. The project is supported in part by funding for a project called the HEALthy Eating and Supportive Environments (HEAL) study. The HEAL project aims to explore how diet and the neighbourhood food environment are linked and impacted by other factors such as neighbourhood walkability, physical activity, and individual factors. The diet and activity data we collect will be used by the HEAL project team to answer these questions and will also be available for other researchers to use to explore many other questions related to cancer and chronic disease.

Why is this important?

What we eat and drink and the activities we do day to day (e.g., work, travel, recreation, household duties) are important for health and wellness. Research shows that diet and physical activity have an impact on cancer and chronic disease risk but more detailed data is required to better understand this relationship.  Collecting accurate diet and activity data is complex, as our patterns can fluctuate day to day and throughout the year. For example, we can eat differently or move differently depending on what season it is, so a single data collection at one time point doesn’t give a complete picture of our usual habits. More detailed data will help us answer questions like – what dietary patterns or activities are best for cancer prevention vs. for cancer survivors?

In this project, we will ask you to complete both short-term (past 24-hour) surveys and long-term (past year) surveys at different times over the course of a year to build a better picture of your habits and patterns.

What to expect?

You will be asked to complete online surveys about what you eat and drink and your physical activities a few times over the next year:

• First you will be asked to complete a survey (up to ~40 minutes), including questions about you (e.g., sex, household income), and some questions about what you typically eat and your physical activities.

• Within the next 1-2 weeks, you will be asked to share what you ate and drank and your daily activities (including sleeping, household activities, and leisure activities) the previous day (i.e. recall what you did in the past 24 hours).

• • There are two separate online surveys – one for diet and one for daily activities.

• • The links to the online surveys will be available in your ATP Participant Portal.

• • The surveys will take about 20-40 minutes each to complete.

• • You will receive the invitation to complete both diet and activity surveys on the same day, but you don’t have to complete both in one sitting. They can be completed at the same time or at separate times.

• You will be asked to complete these same surveys again about 1-2 weeks later.

• About six months later, you will be asked to complete these diet and activity surveys again. You will receive the invitation for one set of diet and activity surveys, and then another one around 1-2 weeks later.

• Finally, about five months later, you will be asked to complete different diet and activity surveys – these will be longer, and ask about your diet and activities over the past year.

• • Just like the other surveys, you will be provided with direct links to access the surveys in your ATP Participant Portal.

• • These surveys will take about 45-60 minutes each to complete.

• • You will receive the invitation to complete both diet and activity surveys on the same day, but you don’t have to complete both in one sitting. They can be completed at the same time or at separate times.

• At the end of the study you will receive a personal summary report of the diet and activity information you provided.

Total time commitment: approximately six to seven hours over the course of the full year – this is about the same as watching four movies or four hockey games (or 1 Blue Jays-Dodgers playoff game). Your time spent here over a year will produce data that researchers can use for decades.

About the Diet and Activity Surveys

Please see below for brief descriptions of the diet and activity recall surveys – more information is provided in the FAQ. If you run into issues while using the tools, please see if your issue is in the Troubleshooting FAQ section – if not, contact us.

ASA24

The Automated Self-administered 24-hour Diet Assessment Tool (ASA24) survey will ask you to recall and report the food and drinks you consumed the previous day.  The survey will ask you for the specific foods and drinks and how much you consumed, as well as how your meals/snacks were prepared and where you consumed them (e.g., home, work, etc.). It may feel quite detailed, and it is!  The more accurate information you provide, the stronger and more helpful the research based on this data will be to answer questions on cancer and chronic disease.

ACT24

The Activities Completed over Time in 24-hours (ACT24) survey will ask you to report all the different kinds of activities that made up your previous day. These include sleep, transportation, household chores, and leisure and social activities.  Through this survey, we’ll be able to get a full picture of how you spent your day, from dawn until dusk (including sleeping). This level of detail will be very helpful for researchers to look at how movement affects health, but also dive deeper into the complexity that is our daily lives.

Last updated: November 2025