Voluntourism

Latest trend in tourism encourages you to give back while you get away.  

By Katie Wattie

A growing trend in tourism called voluntourism is changing the way people think about their vacations. Voluntourism is an opportunity for travellers to contribute time and effort to philanthropic initiatives around the world.

Simon Hudson, a tourism professor at the Haskayne School of Business, saw first-hand the impact this trend has on the communities we visit. He spent his last sabbatical touring the globe to research the various impacts tourism has on the world’s cultures.

“Today’s travellers are seeking experiences that provide them with greater insight, increased understanding and a personal connection to the people and places they visit,” says Hudson. “Rather than choose their vacation by the destination, many are first determining the experiences they want and then choosing the destination where these experiences are located.”

Visitors may get involved in practical tasks, such as restoring old buildings or wildlife habitats, or provide strategic advice or technical expertise. Activities may take place for a few hours, like an organized beach cleaning, or travellers can choose to do a complete working eco-tourism holiday. These trips aren’t free, but they’re often cheaper than conventional tours.

A company that specializes in offering this type of package is responsibletravel.com. The site provides a place for travellers to find and book holidays from tour companies that are committed to more responsible travel. It originally launched with 20 holidays from just four tour companies that met the criteria for responsible travel. At the end of 2006, it had over 2,000 holidays from 220 tour companies.

“Experienced travellers, who have been exposed to other cultures and to people who are less fortunate than they, are influencing this new trend of volunteer tourism,” says Hudson. “The World Tourism Organization has noticed that there is an increasing tendency among contemporary travellers to view travel as a means for enhancing the quality of their own lives by doing something good for others.”

Weighty Times

Researcher studies the plethora of issues surrounding eating disorders, obesity and addiction.  

By Jacqueline Louie

Being fit and healthy has as much to do with how people see themselves, as it does with how much they weigh.

“We need to learn to accept a broader range of body types as healthy, happy and functional,” says Shelly Russell-Mayhew, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education’s Division of Applied Psychology. Another key, she stresses, is to examine how eating disorders and obesity can be prevented. “The solution isn’t just within the individual, it’s also about the environment, the culture, and media messages.”

Russell-Mayhew, 36, grew up at a time when dieting and exercise were seen as hugely virtuous activities. “We still diet and compulsively exercise and we’ve also added plastic surgery to the equation. We have even more impossible standards.”

Russell-Mayhew’s current projects include developing and evaluating health promotion resources for schools and determining mental health factors in obesity prevention. She is also passionate about finding ways for health professionals to work together more effectively. “Obesity researchers and eating disorder researchers have a lot to learn from each other.”

Another project focuses on how the 12-step Overeaters Anonymous (OA) program can help people suffering from food addiction and eating disorders. With Kristin von Ranson, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Russell-Mayhew conducted a series of focus groups with OA members to better understand their experiences and determine what is useful in the 12-step approach. Results are preliminary, but “one of the themes seems to be emerging is that there’s a sense of community in OA, a sense of belonging, a sense of being understood and a sense of connection to others.”

Russell-Mayhew also addresses what can be done in school communities to create an environment where students not only find it easy to make healthy food choices, but also feel a sense of belonging—so that school is a place where teasing and bullying regarding weight is not tolerated.

Edible Entertainment

Professor examines the impact of “fun foods”—emphasizing play, entertainment and interactivity—on children’s food preferences, dietary habits and nutrition.

By Jennifer Myers

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic status in Canada. According to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health, 26 percent of Canadian children are overweight or obese. Charlene Elliott, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Communication and Culture, intends to investigate how the behavioural and emotional aspects of food and eating for children contribute to this national health problem.

Elliott has been awarded a Canadian Institute of Health Research grant to conduct a three-year national study on child and parental responses to food products marketed specifically to children.

“The research will assess the relationship between food marketing and childhood obesity,” explains Elliott. “It aims to get a fuller ‘read’ on the socio-cultural determinants of health by exploring how children’s food marketing impacts children’s food preferences, dietary habits and nutrition.”

Elliott’s project builds on her previously awarded Canadian Institute of Health Research funded study, which provided a profile and analysis of food messages aimed specifically at children in Canadian supermarkets. She focused on the new and expanding category of “fun foods”—foods specifically targeted at children that emphasize play, entertainment and interactivity. These foods may be strangely shaped, wildly coloured or highlight unusual tastes—or even transform in shape, size or hue. Their packaging characteristically employs cartoon characters or direct appeals to fun or play.

“Such foods are presented as edible entertainment, to be consumed for reasons that have little to do with sustenance or nutrition,” says Elliott. “It’s strange that the artificiality in food—generally considered to be a bad thing—is actually framed as a selling feature within children’s food. It is equally troubling that the behaviours believed to cause or support obesity in adults—using food as a distraction, eating for entertainment or sport—are precisely the behaviours encouraged by fun foods.”

Elliott’s current national study focuses on how children and parents interpret these foods and their resulting behaviour in terms of purchasing and eating habits. It will also identify whether certain populations—such as younger children, overweight children or those from a lower socio-economic status—are more vulnerable to food marketing. Her findings will contribute to creating effective strategies and policy recommendations for combating childhood obesity.