Hassan Vatanparast

Professor Public Health, University of Saskatchewan
Research Areas

Nutritional epidemiology with emphasis on nutrition-related non-communicable diseases
Community-based health promotion
Public health nutrition
Nutritional assessment
Analysis of complex health survey data
Nutrition and health status of immigrant and refugee population
Current Research

Evaluating the impact of socio-economic and cultural factors on food insecurity in immigrants and refugees both nationally and internationally.
Nutrition and health among Indigenous communities in Canada, Central America and Africa.
Dietary intakes of Canadians and risk of obesity and chronic conditions.
Evaluating the effect of nutrition and physical activity on bone and blood lipid profiles among Canadians.
Immigrant health and nutrition.
Vitamin D and disease activity in inflammatory bowel diseases.
Evaluating the impact of menu planning resources and the cultural adaptation of “Healthy Start/Départ Santé” to improve nutrition, physical activity, and physical literacy in early learning facilities.
Grain consumption of Canadians in association with health and disease.
Calcium and vitamin D of Canadians in association with osteoporosis and CVD.
“Eat Healthy, Play Healthy” initiative to promote healthy food environments in recreational facilities.
Current Courses

PUBH 803.3 Health Promotion Online Course
PUBH 898.3 Advanced Health Promotion (course design)
NUTR 350 Community Nutrition
NUTR 492.3 Undergraduate Research
NUTR 898.3 Special Topics on Nutrition and Chronic Conditions
NUTR 898.3 Role of Socio-economic Factors in Dietary Patterns of Early Years Children
Recent Grants and Awards

Vatanparast, H. (PI). (2018). Milk and Alternatives food group consumption patterns, and nutrient contribution among Canadians. DFC.
Vatanparast, H. (PI), Petrucka, P., Kulshreshtha, S., Monroy Valle, M., Ketilson, L., Farag, M., Lane, V., Chasse, P., Nunes, C. & Lahiji, A. (2018). Improving food security and nutritional status in the context of gender/ethnic inequities in Guatemala. OVPR.
Vatanparast, H. (PI). (2018). Vitamin D and chronic childhood arthritis. OVPR.
Vatanparast, H. (PI), Ghattas, H., Sadeghi, L., Qarmout, T., Ziersch, A., Ercanli- Huffman, F., Papadopoulos, A.G., Newbold, B., Sirkeci, I., Manco, A., Koc, M., Batal, M., Tayyem, R., Kharabsheh, L., White, L., Engler-Stringer, R., Farag, M., Garcea, J., Racine, L., Osgood, N.D., Sari, N., Diaz, E., & Beland, D. (2018). Towards international refugee food security solutions. SSHRC.
Vatanparast, H. (PI), Koç, M., Batal, M., Engler-Stringer, R., Garcea, J., White, J., Qarmout, T., Farag, M., Iqbal, R., Racine, L., & Diaz, E. (2017-2020). The impact of socio-economic, geographic, and cultural factors on household food insecurity of Syrian refugees: a comprehensive study after resettlement in Canada. SSHRC.
Vatanparast, H. (PI) & Grantham, A. (2017-2018). Refugee crises, access to food and health, time for action! CIHR.
Vatanparast, H. (PI), Petrucka, P., Kulshreshtha, S., Monroy Valle, M., Ketilson, L., Farag, M., Lane, V., Chasse, P., Nunes, C., & Lahiji, A. (2017-2020). Global Leaders Scholarship – Seeking sustainable solutions in food security and nutrition for women and children: a tri-country approach. Queen Elizabeth Scholarship & University of Saskatchewan.
Vatanparast, H. (PI) & Whiting, S. (2017-2018). Consumption of cereal, snacks, and milk products in Canada. General Mills.
Vatanparast, H. (PI). (Oct 2017). Grain consumption patterns, their respective nutrient contribution and related health outcomes in Canadians. Alberta Wheat Commission.
Vatanparast, H. (PI). (Sep 2017). Grain consumption patterns, their respective nutrient contribution and related health outcomes in Canadians. Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission.
Vatanparast, H. (PI). (Sep 2017). Grain consumption patterns, their respective nutrient contribution and related health outcomes in Canadians. Grain Farmers of Ontario.
Vatanparast, H. (PI). (2017-2019). Smart Menu. Réseau Santé en Français de la Saskatchewan/Saskatchewan Network for Health Services in French.
Gauthier, R., Lepage-Lavoie, G., Leis, A., Vatanparast, H., Bélanger, M., Humbert, L., & Muhajarine, N. (2017-2020). Healthy Start/Départ Santé-Phase III. PHAC.
Gauthier, R., Lepage-Lavoie, G., Leis, A., Vatanparast, H., Bélanger, M., Humbert, L., Muhajarine, N. (Co-PI), & Leis, A. (2017-2020). Healthy Start Start/Départ Santé-Sustainability. CIF.
Rosenberg, A. (PI), Adamko, D., Erlandson, M., Gordon, J., Inman, M., Almubarak, S., Bradley, T., Martel, M.J., Nour, M., Dyck, R., Jones, A.B., Agrey, N., Magee, F., Vatanparast, H., Bowen, A., Strueby, L., & Kusalik, A. (2017-2019). Intrauterine inflammation as a determinant of pregnancy outcomes and child health. CHFS.
Select publications

Book Chapters

Vatanparast, H., Nisbet, C., & Patil, R. (2017). Food security and nutritional health of newcomer children. In V.R. Preedy & V.B. Patel (Eds.), Handbook of Famine, Starvation, and Nutrient Deprivation. Springer International Publishing.

Whiting, S.J., Vatanparast, H., & Calvo, M.S. (2017). Current understanding of vitamin D metabolism, nutrition status, and role in disease prevention. In A.M. Coulston, C.J. Boushey, M.G. Ferruzzi & L.M. Delahanty. (Eds.), Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (pp. 937-963), London, United Kingdom: Academic Press.

Selected Papers in Refereed Journals

Shafiee, M., Ahmadnezhad, M., Tayefi, M., Arekhi, S., Vatanparast, H., Esmaeili, H., Moohebati, M., Ferns, G.A., & Mokhber, N. (2018). Depression and anxiety symptoms are associated with prooxidant-antioxidant balance: A population-based study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 238, 491-498.

Mazidi, M., Kengne, A.P., & Vatanparast, H. (2018). Association of dietary patterns of American adults with bone mineral density and fracture. Public Health Nutrition. doi: 10.1017/S1368980018000939

Finch, S.L., Rosenberg, A.M., & Vatanparast, H. (2018). Vitamin D and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Pediatric Rheumatology, 16. doi: 10.1186/s12969-018-0250-0.

Vatanparast, H., Shahabi, F., Bahramian, A., Javadi, A. & Miller, R. (2018). The role of electrostatic repulsion on increasing surface activity of anionic surfactants in the presence of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles. Scientific Reports, 8. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-25493-7

Lane, F., Farag, M., White, J., Nisbet, C., & Vatanparast, H. (2018). Chronic health disparities among refugee and immigrant children in Canada. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2017-0407

Mazidi, M. & Vatanparast, H. (2018). Serum trans-fatty acids level are positively associated with lower food security among american adults. Nutrition & Diabetes, 8(17).

Ward, S., Froehlich Chow, A., Humbert, M.L., Bélanger, M., Muhajarine, N., Vatanparast, H., & Leis, A. (2018). Promoting physical activity, healthy eating and gross motor skills development among preschoolers attending childcare centers: Process evaluation of the Healthy Start-Départ Santé intervention using the RE-AIM framework. Evaluation and Program Planning, 68, 90-98.

Movassagh, E.Z., Baxter-Jones, A.D.G., Kontulainen, S., Whiting, S., Szafron, M., & Vatanparast, H. (2018). Vegetarian-style dietary pattern during adolescence has long-term positive impact on bone from adolescence to young adulthood: a longitudinal study. Nutrition Journal, 17(36): 1-10.

Khayyatzadeh, S.S., Vatanparast, H., Avan, A., Bagherniya, M., Bahrami, A., Kiani, M.A., Bahrami-Taghanaki, H., Ferns, G.A., & Ghayour-Mobarhan, M. (2017). Serum transaminase concentrations and the presence of irritable bowel syndrome are associated with serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations in adolescent girls who are overweight and obese. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, 71, 234-241.

Mirhosseini, N., Vatanparast, H., & Kimball, S.M. (2017). The association between serum 25(OH)D status and blood pressure in participants of a community-based program taking vitamin D supplements. Nutrients, 9(11), 1244. doi:10.3390/nu9111244

Ward, S., Belanger, M., Donovan, D., Vatanparast, H., Engler-Stringer, R., Leis, A., & Carrier, N. (2017). Lunch is ready…but not healthy: An analysis of lunches served in childcare centres in two Canadian provinces. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 108(4), e342-e347. doi: 10.17269/cjph.108.5688

Mazidi, M., Rezaie, P., & Vatanparast, H. (2018). Impact of vitamin D supplementation on C-reactive protein; a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Nutrition, 4(1).

Olauson, C., Engler-Stringer, R., Vatanparast, H., & Hanoski, R. (2017). Student food insecurity: Examining barriers to higher education at the University of Saskatchewan. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, 13(1), 19-27.

Yaghoubi, M., Mansell, K., Vatanparast, H., Steeves, M., Zeng, W., & Farag, M. (2017). Effects of pharmacy-based interventions on the control and management of diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 41(5), S26. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjd.2017.08.076

Vatanparast, H., Whiting, S., Hossain, A., Mirhosseini, N., Merchant, A.T., & Szafron, M. (2017). National pattern of grain products consumption among Canadians in association with body weight status. BMC Nutrition, 3(1), 59.

Lane, V. Vatanparast, H. (2017). Inclusive or targeted health services for newcomers. Canadian Diversity: Refugee Pathways, 46-49.

Alrefai, D., Jones, J., El-Matary, W., Whiting, S., Aljebreen, A., Mirhosseini, N., & Vatanparast, H. (2017). The association of vitamin D status with disease activity in a cohort of Crohn’s Disease patients in Canada. Nutrients, 9(10), 1112. doi: 10.3390/nu9101112

Mazidi, M., Shivappa, N., Wirth, M.D., Hebert, J.R., Vatanparast, H., & Kengne, A.P. (2017). The association between dietary inflammatory properties and bone mineral density and risk of fracture in US adults. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2017.133.

Mirhosseini, N., Vatanparast, H., Mazidi, M., & Kimball, S.M. (2017). The effect of improved serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status on glycemic control in diabetic patients: a meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metababolism, 102(9), 3097-3110. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-01024.

Mazidi, M., Kengne, A.P., & Vatanparast, H. (2017). Food security and leukocyte telomere length in adult Americans. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017.

Surette, V., Ward, S., Morin, P., Vatanparast, H., & Bélanger, M. (2017). Food reluctance of preschool children attending daycare centers is associated with a lower body mass index. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(11), 1749-1756. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2017.07.007

Movassagh, E.Z., Baxter-Jones, A.D.G., Kontulainen, S., Whiting, S.J., & Vatanparast, H. (2017). Tracking dietary patterns over 20 years from childhood through adolescence into young adulthood: the Saskatchewan Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study. Nutrients, 9(9), 990. doi: 10.3390/nu9090990.

Ward, S., Bélanger, M., Donovan, D., Vatanparast, H., Muhajarine, N., Engler-Stringer, R., Leis, A., Humbert, M.L., & Carrier, N. (2017). Association between childcare educators’ practices and preschoolers’ physical activity and dietary intake: a cross-sectional analysis. BMJ open, 7(5), e013657.

Mazidi, M., Karimi, E., Rezaie, P., & Vatanparast, H. (2017). The impact of vitamin D supplement intake on vascular endothelial function; a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Food & Nutrition Research, 61(1), 1273574. doi: 10.1080/16546629.2016.1273574

Mazidi, M., Gao, H.K., Vatanparast, H., & Kengne, A.P. (2017). Impact of the dietary fatty acid intake on C-reactive protein levels in US adults. Medicine, 96(7), e5736. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000005736

Movassagh, E.Z. & Vatanparast, H. (2017). Current evidence on the association of dietary patterns and bone health: a scoping review. Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 8(1), 1-16. doi: 10.3945/an.116.013326

Ward, S., Bélanger, M., Donovan, D., Boudreau, J., Vatanparast, H., Muhajarine, N., Leis, A., Humbert, M.L., & Carrier, N. (2017). “Monkey see, monkey do”: Peers’ behaviors predict preschoolers' physical activity and dietary intake in childcare centers. Preventive Medicine, 97, 33-39. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.01.001

Mazidi, M., Rezaie, P., Ferns, G.A., & Vatanparast, H. (2017). Impact of probiotic administration on serum C-reactive protein concentrations: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials. Nutrients, 9(1), 20. doi: 10.3390/nu9010020

Mirhosseini, N. Z., Knaus, S. J., Bohaychuk, K., Singh, J., Vatanparast, H. A., & Weber, L.P. (2016). Both high and low plasma levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D increase blood pressure in a normal rat model. British Journal of Nutrition, 116(11), 1889-1900.

Hosseini, Z., Whiting, S.J., & Vatanparast, H. (2016). Current evidence on the association of the metabolic syndrome and dietary patterns in a global perspective. Nutrition Research Reviews, 29(2), 152-162.

Mazidi, M., Rezaie, P., Vatanparast, H., & Kengne, A.P. (2016). Effect of statins on serum vitamin D concentrations: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. European Journal of Clinical Investigation. doi: 10.1111/eci.12698

Movassagh, E.Z., Kontulainen, S., Baxter-Jones, A.D.G., Whiting, S., Szafron, M., Papadimitropoulos, M., & Vatanparast, H. (2017). Are milk and alternatives and fruit and vegetable intakes during adolescence associated with cortical and trabecular bone structure, density, and strength in adulthood? Osteoporosis International, 1-11.

Hoover, J., Vatanparast, H., & Uswak, G. (2016). Risk determinants of dental caries and oral hygiene status in 3–15 year-old recent immigrant and refugee children in Saskatchewan, Canada: a pilot study. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 1-7.

Henry, C., Whiting, S.J., Finch, S.L., Zello, G.A., & Vatanparast, H. (2016). Impact of replacing regular chocolate milk with the reduced-sugar option on milk consumption in elementary schools in Saskatoon, Canada. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(5), 511-515. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2015-0501

Engler-Stringer, R., Muhajarine, N., Ridalls, T., Abonyi, S., Vatanparast, H., Whiting, S., & Walker, R. (2016). The Good Food Junction: a community-based food store intervention to address nutritional health inequities. JMIR research protocols, 5(2), e52. doi: 10.2196/resprot.5303

Bélanger, M., Humbert, L., Vatanparast, H., Ward, S., Muhajarine, N., Chow, A.F., Engler-Stringer, R., Donovan, D., Carrier, N., & Leis, A. (2016). A multilevel intervention to increase physical activity and improve healthy eating and physical literacy among young children (ages 3-5) attending early childcare centres: the Healthy Start-Départ Santé cluster randomised controlled trial study protocol. BMC public health, 16(1), 313. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2973-5

Vatanparast, H., Henry, C., & Mulhall, S. (2016). The impact of Linking Immigrants with Nutrition Knowledge (LINK) initiative on improving cultural competency skills among nutrition and dietetic students in Canada. The FASEB Journal 30 (1 Supplement), 132.7-132.7. doi: 10.1096/fj.1530-6860.

Setayeshgar, S., Whiting, S.J., Pahwa, P., & Vatanparast, H. (2015). Predicted 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease among Canadian adults using modified Framingham Risk Score in association with dietary intake. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 40(10), 1068-74. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2015-0074

Shah, S. M., Loney, T., Al Dhaheri, S., Vatanparast, H., Elbarazi, I., Agarwal, M… & Ali, R. (2015). Association between acculturation, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors among male South Asian migrants in the United Arab Emirates–a cross-sectional study. BMC public health, 15(1), 204. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1568-x.

Wakayo, T., Belachew, T., Vatanparast, H., & Whiting, S. J. (2015). Vitamin D deficiency and its predictors in a country with thirteen months of sunshine: the case of school children in central Ethiopia. PloS one, 10(3), e0120963.

Henry, C., Whiting, S.J., Phillips, T., Finch, S.L., Zello, G.A., & Vatanparast, H. (2015). Impact of the removal of chocolate milk from school milk programs for children in Saskatoon, Canada. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 40(3):245-50. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2014-0242.

Yang, P.H., Black, J.L., Barr, S.I., & Vatanparast, H. (2014). Examining differences in nutrient intake and dietary quality on weekdays versus weekend days in Canada. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 39(12), 1413-7. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2014-0110.

Duckham, R., Baxter-Jones, A., Johnston, J., Vatanparast, H., Cooper, D., & Kontulainen, S. (2014). Does physical activity in adolescence have site-specific and sex-specific benefits on young adult bone size, content and estimated strength? Journal of Bone Mineral Research, 29(2), 479-86. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2055.

Ingold, G., & Vatanparast, H. (2014). Beverage consumption & health of immigrant and refugee children in Canada. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 5(38), S19. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2014.07.049.

Lane, V., Vatanparast, H., & White, J. (2014). Health status of newcomer children: from research to policy. Immigrant Integration: Research Implications for Future Policy, 213.

Setayeshgar, S., Whiting, S.J., & Vatanparast, H. (2014). Is dietary intake associated with diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Canadian adults? Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 38(5), S35-S36. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjd.2014.07.097

Shah, S., Loney, T., Dhaheri, S., Vatanparast, H., Elbarazi, I., Blair, I., & Ali, R. (2014). Alarming obesity trends and associated risk factors among South Asian immigrants in the United Arab Emirates. Obesity Reviews, 15, 74.

Vatanparast, H., & Lane, V. (2014). Risk of vitamin D insufficiency and inadequate bone mineral status in newcomer immigrant and refugee children in Canada, data from Healthy Immigrant Children study. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 29, S227-S227.