The University of British Columbia healthy beverage initiative: changing the beverage landscape on a large post-secondary campus

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie M Di Sebastiano ◽  
Sara Kozicky ◽  
Melissa Baker ◽  
Matt Dolf ◽  
Guy Faulkner

AbstractObjective:Environmental interventions are more effective at changing nutrition behaviour than educational campaigns alone. As part of their health promotion efforts, the University of British Columbia (UBC) developed the Healthy Beverage Initiative (HBI) to ultimately reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) on campus. We describe the development, implementation, preliminary evaluation and future of the HBI.Design:Naturalistic observation of environmental changes to induce behaviour change.Setting:Large urban research university campus.Participants:University community members and campus visitors.Results:Three main activities have been implemented since the initiation of the UBC HBI: renegotiation of the cold beverage agreement, a media campaign to promote tap water consumption and the removal of SSB from select retail locations on campus (residence dining hall). No significant loss of revenue was observed following the removal of SSB from a residence dining hall compared with similar locations. Compensatory purchasing behaviour of SSB was not observed at the closest retail locations where they were still available. After the removal of SSB, ~75% of survey respondents were not aware that the beverages had been removed.Conclusions:The implementation of the HBI has met little resistance from the UBC community. The removal of SSB from residence dining locations did not result in any significant revenue loss or compensatory purchasing behaviour. This suggests that environmental intervention initiatives appear to be a viable option that may reduce SSB consumption on post-secondary campuses.

Refuge ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-74
Author(s):  
Robyn Plasterer

This paper examines the geographies of resettlement and integration with respect to the Student Refugee Program(SRP) of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC).As Canada’s only program to link resettlement with post-secondary education, the SRP makes manifest intriguing geographies that intersect international, national, and local scales. Th is study carried out the first qualitative research of the WUSC SRP at the University of British Columbia (UBC). It draws from good settlement practices,refugees’ existing skill sets, and refugees’ perspectives to examine how refugee students’ human capital can best contribute to Canadian integration.


Refuge ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Peterson

This paper reflects on the origins and development of the Student Refugee Program of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and its significance as a “transformational” force in the lives of individuals and communities. The WUSC Student Refugee Program is a unique effort involving students, faculty and staff at universities and colleges across Canada who work together to mobilize material and human resources in order to enable student refugees to resettle and complete their post-secondary studies in Canada. The author, who has worked closely with the Student Refugee Program at the University of British Columbia since the mid-1990s, first describes the operation of the Student Refugee Program, and then considers its significance in relation to issues of resettlement, gender equality, “brain drain” and transnationalism.


2016 ◽  
Vol 179 (7) ◽  
pp. i-ii
Author(s):  
Vicki Adams

Vicki Adams grew up in Vancouver, Canada, and graduated with a degree in animal science from the University of British Columbia before being accepted into vet school in Saskatchewan. Her animal science background has given her the population perspective that is so important in epidemiology and she now runs her own consulting company, Vet Epi


1993 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 1259-1266
Author(s):  
Sally Thorne ◽  
Carol Jillings ◽  
Donelda Ellis ◽  
JoAnn Perry

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Bilodeau ◽  
Jackie Podger ◽  
Alaa Abd-El-Aziz

Purpose – Universities can provide a leadership role to develop and mobilize knowledge to meet societal needs. In fulfilling this mission, universities can also serve as agents of sustainable development on campus and in communities they serve. The purpose of this article is to describe the drivers that have advanced the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus' operational and academic sustainability objectives; the initiatives and partnerships developed on campus and in the community in response to these drivers; and the outcomes and lessons learned. Design/methodology/approach – This article summarizes the experience of the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus in leveraging key drivers to develop sustainability initiatives and partnerships for greater operational efficiencies, cost savings, environmental stewardship and applied research. The university's leadership commitment to sustainability, economic opportunities and provincial legislative requirements are among the drivers discussed. This paper also provides an innovative partnership framework to support sustainable community development. Findings – Drivers of sustainability in higher education can contribute to the development of sustainability initiatives and partnerships that benefit institutions and communities and achieve operational and academic sustainability mandates. Practical implications – This article provides information that can be applied by institutions of higher education to advance sustainability within the context of current economic conditions and societal needs. Originality/value – The experience of the campus and the partnership framework presented in this paper is original. The framework provides a mechanism to engage students, faculty and the community in sustainable community development research. Key insights from multiple perspectives and lessons learned are shared.


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