What if the secret to healthier living starts with healthier places? When we think of geography, we tend to think of maps and distances between locations, but it is more than just studying the Earth’s surface. Geography reveals how place shapes people — and how we can shape places in return.

In this episode of the NESI Podcast, Emma explores how geography influences health behaviours with Dr. Alexander "AJ" Wray — an urban planner and health geographer. AJ shares insights from his work on urban environments and food advertising, offering practical ways behavioural nutrition and physical activity researchers can integrate geographic approaches into their work.

Tune in to learn:

• What is health geography
• How spaces and places shape our health-related choices
• Ways to integrate geography into physical activity and nutrition research
• Tips and next steps for how to design healthier communities

For further details about the study discussed in today's episode, you can read the full paper here. If you want to learn about the Smart APPetite study, you can find more details on the project website.

Want to follow AJ and keep up with his research? You can find him at:

https://www.alexanderwray.ca/welcome

https://theheal.ca/team/alexander-wray/

https://x.com/wrayaj?lang=en

New episodes of the NESI podcast are released bi-weekly. Don’t miss updates on future episodes. Follow us on:

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-society-of-behavioral-nutrition-and-physical-activity/

Do you want to feature your work on the podcast? We are always looking for new voices! Please reach out to us at [email protected] with a short bio and the research you want to share on the podcast, whether that is a specific paper, a larger project or a topic in your field that you study.