CHL doctoral trainee Jennifer Galbreath and CHL Director and Principal Investigator Dr. Rachel Novotny attended the 2026 International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) conference, an annual event which was held this year in Cádiz, Spain from May 27-30. The ISBNPA conference brings together a global community of researchers, practitioners, and advocates to advance behavior change science. Conference sessions focused on implementation and scalability, children and families, socioeconomic inequalities, early care and education, systems science, indigenizing wellbeing research and much more, offering attendees the opportunity to connect with a diverse array of current industry ideas and colleagues. Local Spanish culture infused the event, from the food to Flamenco inspired movement breaks. Dr. Mark Trembaly, a Senior Scientist with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute and a Pediatrics Professor with the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, started the conference off as a keynote speaker with his presentation, “Moving forward by looking back,” which included an overview of the Global Matrix 5.0 initiative. The initiative is a collaborative effort led by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance (AHKGA); the Global Matrix 5.0, to be released at the end of 2026, is a comprehensive assessment of global variation across 67 countries, including the United States, in child and adolescent physical activity.
Jennifer and Dr. Novotny presented research during the conference. Jennifer presented dissertation findings on the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of household food security status among urban Alaska families with young children. Dr. Novotny presented a CHL study on the quadruple burden of malnutrition in children of the US Affiliated Pacific (USAP) region – obesity, stunting, and both dietary micronutrient inadequacy and excess. Both enjoyed meeting with new and old colleagues, including CHL Network (CHLN) member, Dr. Melissa Olfert from West Virginia University, CHL collaborator Dr. Dot Dumuid from University of South Australia, and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Nutritional Sciences Master’s program graduate Dr. Pia Chaparro from University of Washington. Jennifer was able to attend a variety of sessions relevant to her doctoral studies on food security, food assistance, and child dietary patterns.
Click here to view the ISBNPA 2026 Program and Abstract Book