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Hill A, Blake M, Alston LV, Nichols MS, Bell C, Fraser P, Le HN, Strugnell C, Allender S, Bolton KA. How healthy and affordable are foods and beverages sold in school canteens? A cross-sectional study comparing menus from Victorian primary schools - ERRATUM. Public Health Nutr 2023; 26:3379. [PMID: 37905566 PMCID: PMC10755370 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980023002252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
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Hill A, Blake M, Alston LV, Nichols MS, Bell C, Fraser P, Le HN, Strugnell C, Allender S, Bolton KA. How healthy and affordable are foods and beverages sold in school canteens? A cross-sectional study comparing menus from Victorian primary schools. Public Health Nutr 2023; 26:2559-2572. [PMID: 37439210 DOI: 10.1017/s136898002300126x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Government policy guidance in Victoria, Australia, encourages schools to provide affordable, healthy foods in canteens. This study analysed the healthiness and price of items available in canteens in Victorian primary schools and associations with school characteristics. DESIGN Dietitians classified menu items (main, snack and beverage) using the red, amber and green traffic light system defined in the Victorian government's School Canteens and Other School Food Services Policy. This system also included a black category for confectionary and high sugar content soft drinks which should not be supplied. Descriptive statistics and regressions were used to analyse differences in the healthiness and price of main meals, snacks and beverages offered, according to school remoteness, sector (government and Catholic/independent) size, and socio-economic position. SETTING State of Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS A convenience sample of canteen menus drawn from three previous obesity prevention studies in forty-eight primary schools between 2016 and 2019. RESULTS On average, school canteen menus were 21 % 'green' (most healthy - everyday), 53 % 'amber' (select carefully), 25 % 'red' (occasional) and 2 % 'black' (banned) items, demonstrating low adherence with government guidelines. 'Black' items were more common in schools in regional population centres. 'Red' main meal items were cheaper than 'green'% (mean difference -$0·48 (95 % CI -0·85, -0·10)) and 'amber' -$0·91 (-1·27, -0·57)) main meal items. In about 50 % of schools, the mean price of 'red' main meal, beverages and snack items were cheaper than 'green' items, or no 'green' alternative items were offered. CONCLUSION In this sample of Victorian canteen menus, there was no evidence of associations of healthiness and pricing by school characteristics except for regional centres having the highest proportion of 'black' (banned) items compared with all other remoteness categories examined. There was low adherence with state canteen menu guidelines. Many schools offered a high proportion of 'red' food options and 'black' (banned) options, particularly in regional centres. Unhealthier options were cheaper than healthy options. More needs to be done to bring Victorian primary school canteen menus in line with guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Hill
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
| | - Miranda Blake
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
| | - Laura Veronica Alston
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
- Deakin Rural Health, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
- Research Unit, Colac Area Health, Colac3250, VIC, Australia
| | - Melanie S Nichols
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
| | - Colin Bell
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
- GLOBE, Institute for Health Transformation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
| | - Penny Fraser
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
- GLOBE, Institute for Health Transformation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
| | - Ha Nd Le
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
| | - Claudia Strugnell
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
| | - Steven Allender
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
| | - Kristy A Bolton
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
- Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong3220, VIC, Australia
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Lacy KE, Nichols MS, de Silva AM, Allender SE, Swinburn BA, Leslie ER, Jones LV, Kremer PJ. Critical design features for establishing a childhood obesity monitoring program in Australia. Aust J Prim Health 2015; 21:369-72. [DOI: 10.1071/py15052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Efforts to combat childhood obesity in Australia are hampered by the lack of quality epidemiological data to routinely monitor the prevalence and distribution of the condition. This paper summarises the literature on issues relevant to childhood obesity monitoring and makes recommendations for implementing a school-based childhood obesity monitoring program in Australia. The primary purpose of such a program would be to collect population-level health data to inform both policy and the development and evaluation of community-based obesity prevention interventions. Recommendations are made for the types of data to be collected, data collection procedures and program management and evaluation. Data from an obesity monitoring program are crucial for directing and informing policies, practices and services, identifying subgroups at greatest risk of obesity and evaluating progress towards meeting obesity-related targets. Such data would also increase the community awareness necessary to foster change.
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Abstract
Resources for obesity prevention interventions are inevitably limited, necessitating the selection of priority groups to ensure effective and equitable use of funds. This paper aims to review published approaches to selection of priority groups ('target populations') for obesity prevention, and to present the development of a new systematic framework for organizing and assessing evidence for selecting priority groups. A review was conducted of the process and justification described for selecting priority groups in a sample of obesity prevention publications. Using the results of this review and adaptation of theory and frameworks in both the obesity prevention and health promotion priority-setting literature, a framework was developed for assessment of potential priority groups for obesity prevention. The published literature lacks discussion of and explicit processes for selection of priority groups for obesity prevention intervention. The new framework describes specific types of evidence that should be considered in the assessment of a potential priority group for obesity prevention and has applications for funding and implementing community-based or settings-level obesity prevention interventions and research. Application of this framework has the potential to enhance the effective use of limited obesity prevention resources and to identify areas in need of additional research evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Nichols
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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