Hundreds of residents in the Owen Sound and Meaford areas are being asked to take part in a federal study.
The Canadian Health Measures Survey will randomly select about 500 households to take part in the two-phase survey. It's being conducted by Statistics Canada, beginning on March 12.
The first phase involves an in-home interview with the selected individuals. They will be asked questions about things like nutrition, alcohol and tobacco consumption, medical history, and level of physical activity.
In the second phase, participants are asked to go to a mobile examination center, temporarily located in the parking lot of the Beaver Valley Community Centre in Thornbury, to undergo a number of tests.
Health professionals employed by Statistics Canada will take participants’ physical health measures, including height, weight, neck and waist circumference. The specialists will also do tests to measure blood pressure, fitness level, vision and musculoskeletal health.
The CHMS is conducted under the authority of the Statistics Act, which guarantees that all the information provided by participants remains confidential.
Various health care stakeholders, including professionals, researchers and public health planners, use this data to adapt programs and services to the population’s needs.