Perceptions of the 2019 Canada's Food Guide: a qualitative study with parents from Southwestern Ontario.

In January 2019, Health Canada released a revised Canada's Food Guide (CFG). This study aimed to understand the perceptions of the 2019 CFG among Canadian parents with children aged 2-12 years. From October 2019-January 2020, 8 focus groups with parents from Southwestern Ontario were conducted using a semi-structured interview script focused on understanding perceptions of the 2019 CFG. A hybrid thematic approach with inductive and deductive analyses was used. Forty parents (72.5% mothers, 77.5% white) with diverse levels of education and income participated. Most parents were aware of the 2019 CFG. Positive perceptions of the 2019 CFG were that the guide was visually appealing and less biased from the food industry compared with previous guides. Parents also reported that the focus on eating behaviours could support healthy eating among their families. Negative perceptions included insufficient information about plant-based proteins, removal of milk and alternatives food group, and lack of representation of various cultures in the guide. Challenges to following the CFG recommendations, including time constraints and limited knowledge regarding how to identify and prepare plant-based proteins, were discussed. Parent perceptions of the CFG can help inform public health policies and behavioural-change strategies designed to support adherence to the 2019 CFG recommendations. Novelty: Awareness of the 2019 Canada's Food Guide (CFG) was high. Parents identified that the 2019 CFG was visually appealing and less biased from the food industry. Concerns about the recommendations of plant-based proteins, "exclusion" of dairies, and lack of cultural representation.

Food Sources of Shortfall Nutrients among Latin Americans: Results from the Latin American Study of Health and Nutrition (ELANS).

Increased consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods can lead to inadequate intakes of shortfall nutrients, including vitamin A, D, C, and E, dietary folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. The objective was to examine the prevalence of inadequate intake of shortfall nutrients and identify food sources of shortfall nutrients in eight Latin American countries. Data from ELANS, a multi-country, population-based study of 9218 adolescents and adults were used. Dietary intake was collected through two 24 h Recalls from participants living in urban areas of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Foods and beverages were classified using the adapted version of the NHANES "What We Eat in America" system. Nutrients inadequacy was estimated using the Institute of Medicine recommendations and descriptive statistics were calculated. Prevalence of inadequacy was above 50% for most of the nutrients, which the exception of vitamin C with a prevalence of inadequacy of 39%. Milk, cheese, seafoods, breads, and fruit juices/drinks were among the top 5 sources for each of the 10 shortfall nutrients examined. Many food categories were top contributors to more than one dietary component examined. Understanding the nutrient intake and food sources can help inform dietary guidance and intervention approaches.

Perceptions About Health, Nutrition Knowledge, and MyPlate Food Categorization Among US Adolescents: A Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVE: To understand how adolescents define related nutrition terms and use food groups to classify commonly consumed foods into the MyPlate food groups. DESIGN: Qualitative study with telephone interviews. SETTING: Houston metropolitan area in Texas. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 21 adolescents from a volunteer database of the research center. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Sociodemographic questions were asked before semiquantitative structured interviews. The interview focused on understanding how adolescents defined health, other nutrition terms, and food groups, and how to use the MyPlate icon in categorizing commonly consumed foods into groups. ANALYSIS: Hybrid thematic approach with inductive and deductive analyses. RESULTS: Adolescents defined being healthy in terms of wellness-type behaviors (eg, diet, physical activity, and sleep). They perceived clear differences between terms such as healthy vs unhealthy food but struggled to define others (eg, energy-dense foods and processed foods). Mixed dishes, hard candies, chocolate chip cookies, and potato chips were the most difficult foods for the adolescents to classify into the MyPlate food groups, whereas apple, lettuce, and milk were easily classified. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Food guidance systems, public health policies, and behavioral nutrition programs targeting adolescents might use health and nutrition terms and prescriptive food categories more clearly understood by adolescents.