NutriSTEP® History
- NutriSTEP® stands for Nutrition Screening Tool for Toddlers and Preschoolers.
- The original Preschool NutriSTEP®, released in 2008, was developed in both English and French and then translated into 6 additional languages commonly used in Canada.
- The Toddler NutriSTEP®, released in 2012, was adapted from the original NutriSTEP® and then translated into French and Spanish.
- Both questionnaires were developed, refined and tested for validity and reliability with more than 2000 multicultural (including First Nations, East Asian, Persian, South American and Italian) and geographically diverse parents and their young children across Canada.
- The NutriSTEP® program was led by dietitian researchers from the University of Guelph and the Public Health Sudbury & Districts.
- Copyright owners and Dietitians of Canada worked collaboratively to adapt NutriSTEP® as a Nutri-eSTEP online feature that can be accessed easily by parents and provides them with immediate feedback. See For Parents.
Find further details on development at: Partners and Acknowledgements
Development, Funding and Partners
- The NutriSTEP® development and testing has been led by dietitian researchers from the Public Health Sudbury & Districts and the University of Guelph.
- The NutriSTEP® research team received funding from the City of Greater Sudbury, the Province of Ontario (Ontario Early Years Challenge Fund), Health Canada (Population Health Fund), the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for the 2008 development of the original preschool NutriSTEP®.
- The initial NutriSTEP.ca website was originally developed in 2009 by Public Health Sudbury & Districts, Janis Randall Simpson, Heather Keller and Lee Rysdale, with funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research to support broader access to NutriSTEP® resources. This site was revised in 2019 with funding from Public Health Ontario’s Locally Driven Collaborative Project (LDCP) program.
- The NutriSTEP® research team received funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research for the 2012 development of Toddler NutriSTEP®.
- The NutriSTEP® research team received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research through a Knowledge Translation Supplement to develop and launch Nutri-eSTEP, see www.nutritionscreen.ca, in collaboration with Dietitians of Canada. Funding for the development of Nutri-eSTEP was also provided from Dietitians of Canada, the University of Guelph, and the University of Guelph-Humber.
- The NutriSTEP® Implementation Toolkit was developed by the NutriSTEP® research team, and was revised in 2015, with funding from the Nutrition Resource Centre (Ontario).
- The How to Build a Healthy Toddler/Preschooler parent education booklets were developed by the NutriSTEP® research team, and were revised in 2015, with funding from the Nutrition Resource Centre (Ontario).
Trademarks and Copyright
- The Preschool NutriSTEP® questionnaire is the copyright of Public Health Sudbury & Districts, Janis Randall Simpson and Heather Keller.
- The Toddler NutriSTEP® questionnaire is the copyright of Janis Randall Simpson, Lee Rysdale and Heather Keller.
- The NutriSTEP® mark and Bear Logo are owned by Public Health Sudbury & Districts (Ontario).
- The distribution rights for the NutriSTEP® questionnaires have been granted to the University of Guelph Catalyst Centre. Refer to Acquire a License for more information.
- The copyright for the NutriSTEP.ca and Nutri-eSTEP websites is with Dietitians of Canada.
- The copyright for the NutriSTEP® Implementation Toolkit (2015) is with the Nutrition Resource Centre (Ontario).
* Disclaimer: The views expressed in the materials associated with NutriSTEP® do not necessarily represent the official policies of the above funders.