Nutri-eSTEP Nutrition Screening Tool for Toddlers and Preschoolers

The NutriSTEP® questionnaires ask 17 questions about a child’s typical food choices, eating behaviours, as well as physical activity and growth. Parents can complete the NutriSTEP® questionnaires online with Nutri-eSTEP, get immediate feedback, and get links to credible articles and tools. 

What is Nutri-eSTEP?

Young children playing
  • Nutri-eSTEP is a web tool that takes users through each of the 17 questions of the validated NutriSTEP® questionnaires and provides immediate feedback based on answers, as well as links to relevant resources
  • Users can access/use/find internet adaptations of the NutriSTEP® questionnaires on this site.
  • General demographic information is collected.
  • The NutriSTEP® questionnaires take less than 15 minutes to complete
  • Feedback messages for each question are categorized into “What is Going Well” and “What to Work On”, depending on response to the question.  No scores are provided to users.
  • Users can save and print Results and Feedback messages for themselves or for their health service providers.
  • Users are not able to access their Results after they leave the site.
  • Links to credible nutrition articles, tools, recipes, and community services are provided.
  • Nutri-eSTEP has undergone reliability testing with parents and caregivers who provided guidance on web design, functionality and content.
  • Promotional materials are available in Resources.

Partners & Funding

The NutriSTEP® research team received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in 2013 to develop and launch the original version of Nutri-eSTEP, in collaboration with Dietitians of Canada.  Funding for the initial development was also provided from Dietitians of Canada, the University of Guelph and the University of Guelph-Humber.

The Nutri-eSTEP platform was revised in 2023-2024 with funding from CIHR (Planning and Dissemination Grant) in collaboration with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) (a part of the Provincial Health Services Authority), Dietitians of Canada, Family Health Nutrition Advisory Group of Ontario Dietitians in Public Health and Sudbury & Districts Public Health.  Nutri-eSTEP is hosted on the www.nutristep.ca website at the University of Guelph.

The Nutri-eSTEP feedback messages, updated in 2019 to align with Canada’s Food Guide by the BCCDC, were adapted, with permission, for the 2024 version of Nutri-eSTEP.  The changes made do not imply endorsement by BCCDC of the 2024 version of the Nutri-eSTEP platform or the feedback messages.

*Disclaimer:  The views expressed in the materials associated with Nutri-eSTEP do not necessarily represent the official policies of the above funders or collaborators.

Acknowledgements

  • The NutriSTEP® Research Team thanks all partners, collaborators, funders, health care professionals, parents and caregivers for their contributions to the 2024 version of Nutri-eSTEP.

How will my information collected from Nutri-eSTEP be used?

  • The information collected is grouped with other user responses and these data are for use of the NutriSTEP® research team for generating reports and for research. 
  • All information is anonymous and is kept confidential.

Terms of Use

  • NutriSTEP® website Terms of Use must be respected. Details at: Terms of Use