Editorial policy

The Veille Action website on healthy living provides credible, practical and well-documented popularized information, which is validated by senior researchers from universities or recognized research institutions or other organizations in the province.

Evolving, collaborative website content

The website content focuses on measures to be implemented to promote healthy eating, active lifestyles and the prevention of weight-related problems in young people and the population as a whole.

The content is divided into several different themes, which are addressed in the fact sheets.

Over time, new themes will be introduced and new written, video and audio content will be added.

The editorial team produces most of the basic content. However, Veille Action is also open to partnerships and collaborative arrangements with recognized, credible organizations and agencies that wish to share their content with us as part of their mission.

The editor in chief and the website advisory committee are responsible for formulating editorial policy. The advisory committee is made up of representatives from the local, regional and provincial levels who are involved in promoting healthy lifestyles. The committee’s mandate is to provide guidance in the development of website content.

This website contains:

• Fact sheets on various themes and descriptions of associated projects
• News watch
• Media watch or press review
• Special features, reports and news capsules
• Blogs
• Directory of Quebec organizations concerned with healthy lifestyles
• Event calendar
• Videos
• Tools
• Documentation on training related to healthy lifestyles and other topics.

Fact sheets

Each Veille Action fact sheet is the product of in-depth research using rigorous methodology.

This methodology results in content that goes to the root of the problem, incorporating significant findings from relevant scientific research.

Readers that are not specialists in the field can therefore obtain accurate and reliable popularized information, which makes the most complex notions easy to grasp.

Professionals will find a synthesis of recent information on each theme and can delve deeper into the subject if needed by consulting the sources cited.

Information is synthesized and presented objectively. Each fact sheet is structured in the same way. After a summary giving the main points at a glance, three sections follow: the first outlines the most important aspects of the problem in a Quebec context, based on the most recent statistics; the second describes courses of action to be implemented; and the third details the positive and negative impacts of this action, when such data are available.

The courses of action proposed in the fact sheets are based on solid scientific research or recommendations by recognized experts. However, we do not aim to systematically qualify these courses of action as good practices, promising practices or innovative practices; this would require even more in-depth research, which would not necessarily result in a clear answer. These types of measures have not been extensively evaluated and evaluations, when they do exist, have not resulted in consensus. If we happen to encounter along the way a scientific expert who supports a specific course of action, it will be noted where appropriate.

The fact sheets are drafted by Veille Action’s team of science journalists.

Sources of information

The information sources used have been carefully chosen for their reliability: data bases, reference documents and specialized websites that are rigorous and precise. Often, websites are hosted by governments, government agencies or universities, including such organizations as the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), World Health Organization (WHO) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The sources consulted are cited at the end of each fact sheet along with hyperlinks for direct access.

Validation of fact sheets

Fact sheets are validated twice. First, they are reviewed by stakeholders with a thorough knowledge of the situation in the field to ensure that the information and knowledge in each fact sheet is practical, concrete and relevant to the Quebec context.

Fact sheets are then scientifically validated by researchers from universities or recognized research institutions, to check the accuracy of the information and knowledge transmitted in the fact sheets.

The fact sheets are updated on an ongoing basis.

News Watch

The News Watch section consists of a science watch and a media watch. The science watch describes recent progress made in areas related to the website themes, which include healthy eating, physical activity, environments, community mobilization, social norms and others. The short articles in the science watch are presented under various headings: publications, research and evaluation, events and policy. This content is carefully chosen from over 1,500 sources in Quebec, the other Canadian provinces, the United States and a number of countries around the world. The science watch is compiled by Veille Action science journalists.

The News Watch section also has a media watch, or press review, which monitors various local, regional, provincial, national and international sources. This press review focuses on news items related to the Veille Action themes, and reports on what is happening in the different regions of Quebec, as well as elsewhere in Canada and around the world. Delivered in the form of short news items on the web site, the press review is also broadcast on Twitter as well as being published in the Veille Action newsletter. The press review is produced by the Conseil québécois sur le poids et la santé (CQPS).