EVALUATION OF THE HEART SMART RESTAURANT PROGRAM IN SASKATOON AND REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN

The consumer-driven Heart Smart Restaurant Program was developed by th e Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan and the Saskatoon Commun ity Health Unit, with the aim of improving the nutritional quality of food consumed in table-service restaurants. To participate, restaurate urs must agree to provide smoke-free seating and specific more healthf ul food choices upon request of the customer. The program was evaluate d through telephone interviews with 999 individuals in randomly select ed households in Saskatoon and Regina. While public awareness of the p rogram was satisfactory, over half of those who knew of the program mi sunderstood its function, believing that more healthful choices are in dicated on the menu. When choosing a restaurant, individuals are not g reatly influenced by whether it is Heart Smart, but in Saskatoon, they are more likely to request a more healthful alternative in a Heart Sm art restaurant than in others. Implications of these and other finding s for future program development and research are discussed.