Social and community networks influence dietary attitudes in regional New South Wales, Australia

A Comparison of Diet Quality in a Sample of Rural and Urban Australian Adults

The diet quality of rural Australians is under researched. Characterising disparities in diet quality between rural and urban populations may inform targeted interventions in at- risk groups. A cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between diet quality, rurality and sociodemographic characteristics in a sample of Australian adults. Participants were recruited at rural and regional events between 2017 and 2020, in New South Wales, Australia. Diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Quiz or Australian Eating Survey to generate an Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS). ARFS was compared by rurality and sociodemographic characteristics using multivariate regression. Participants (n = 247; 53% female) had a mean ± SD ARFS of 34.5 ± 9.0. There was no significant effect of rurality on ARFS (β-coefficient = −0.4; 95%CI −3.0, 2.3). Compared to participants aged 18–30 years, higher ARFS was evident for those aged 31–50 (β = 5.4; 95%CI 0.3, 10.4), 51–70 (β = 4.4; 95%CI 0.3, 8.5) and >71 years (β = 6.5; 95% CI 1.6–11.4). Compared to those living alone, participants living with a partner (β = 5.2; 95%CI 2.0, 8.4) and families with children (β = 5.6; 95%CI 1.4, 9.8) had significantly higher ARFS. ARFS was significantly lower with each additional self-reported chronic health condition (β = −1.4; 95%CI −2.3, −0.4). Our results indicate that diet quality as defined by the ARFS was classified as ‘getting there’ and that age, living arrangements and chronic health conditions, but not rurality, influenced diet quality in a sample of Australian adults.

Effectiveness of Foodbank Western Australia's Food Sensations® for Adults Food Literacy Program in Regional Australia

Background: Food Sensations for Adults, funded by the Western Australian Department of Health, is a four-week nutrition education program focused on food literacy, with demonstrated success amongst Western Australians. In the last two years, 25% of programs have been in regional and remote areas and therefore the aim of this research is to explore the impact of the program in regional areas. Methods: Participants answered validated pre- and post-questionnaires to assess change in food literacy behaviours (2016–2018). Results: Regional participants (n = 451) were more likely to live in low income areas, have lower education levels, and identify as Aboriginal, than metropolitan participants (n = 1398). Regional participants had statistically significantly higher food literacy behaviours in the plan and manage and preparation domains, and lower selection behaviours at baseline than metropolitan participants. Post program, regional participants showed matched improvements with metropolitan participants in the plan and manage, and preparation domains. Food selection behaviour results increased in both groups but were significantly higher in regional participants. Conclusions: The program demonstrates effective behaviour change in all participants; however, the increased disadvantage experienced by people residing outside of major cities highlights the need for additional government support in addressing regional specific barriers, such as higher food costs, to ensure participants gain maximum benefit from future food literacy programs.

Characterizing Dietary Intakes in Rural Australian Adults: A Systematic Literature Review

Rural Australians experience a higher burden of diet-related chronic disease than their metropolitan counterparts. Dietary intake data is needed to understand priorities for nutrition initiatives that reduce disparities in the health of rural Australians. A systematic literature review aimed to synthesize the evidence on dietary intakes in adult populations residing in rural and remote Australia, to identify areas for intervention, and make recommendations for future research. A comprehensive search of five electronic databases was conducted and 22 articles were identified for inclusion. Half of the included studies (50%) collected dietary data using non-validated questionnaires and nearly half (41%) did not benchmark dietary intakes against public health guidelines. Most studies (95%) showed that rural populations have suboptimal dietary intakes. Despite the high level of preventable diet-related disease in rural and remote Australia, this review identified that there is insufficient high-quality dietary data available and a lack of consistency between dietary outcomes collected in research to inform priority areas for intervention. Further cross-sectional or longitudinal data should be collected across all remoteness areas, using robust, validated dietary assessment tools to adequately inform nutrition priorities and policies that reduce rural health disparities.