College students' attitude toward menu labeling differs by sex, BMI, weight management status, and athletic type.

Objective Determine students' attitude toward menu labeling before and after menu labeling implementation at university dining facility. Participants: College students aged 18 years and older eating at campus dining facility. Methods: Survey on attitude toward menu labeling, weight management status, and athletic classification (NCAA, recreational, or non-athlete) was completed 30 days pre- and post-menu labeling implementation. Results: Females showed stronger positive attitude toward menu labeling. Students trying to lose or gain weight had stronger positive attitudes toward menu labeling than students maintaining weight, as did overweight students compared to normal weight students. NCAA athletes had lower attitude mean scores toward menu labeling than other athletic classifications. Conclusion: Attitude toward menu labeling varies by students' gender, body mass index (BMI), and weight management focus, with NCAA athletes having the least positive attitude. Focus future research on effective ways to inform students on menu labeling in university dining facilities in order to nutritionally engage young adults.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Revised 2021 Standards of Professional Performance for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (Competent, Proficient, and Expert) in Management of Food and Nutrition Systems.

Management of food and nutrition systems (MFNS) encompasses the varied roles of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) with administrative responsibilities for food and nutrition services within an organization. RDNs in MFNS are frequently employed in acute care, but also expand into a multitude of other settings in which management of nutrition and foodservice is required, for example, foodservice departments in assisted living and post-acute and long-term care; colleges and universities, kindergarten through grade 12 and pre-kindergarten schools and childcare; retail foodservice operations; correctional facilities; and companies that produce, distribute, and sell food products. RDNs in MFNS aim to create work environments that support high-quality customer-centered care and services, attract and retain talented staff, and foster an atmosphere of collaboration and innovation. The Management in Food and Nutrition Systems Dietetic Practice Group, with guidance from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Management Committee, has revised the Standards of Professional Performance (SOPP) for RDNs in MFNS for 3 levels of practice: competent, proficient, and expert. The SOPP describes 6 domains that focus on professional performance: Quality in Practice, Competence and Accountability, Provision of Services, Application of Research, Communication and Application of Knowledge, and Utilization and Management of Resources. Indicators outlined in the SOPP depict how these standards apply to practice. The standards and indicators for RDNs in MFNS are written with the leader in mind-to support an individual in a leadership role or who has leadership aspirations. The SOPP is intended to be used by RDNs for self-evaluation to assure competent professional practice.

Kindergarten to 12th Grade School-Based Nutrition Interventions: Putting Past Recommendations Into Practice.

School-based nutrition interventions are used to improve dietary habits of schoolchildren and reverse trends on obesity. This article reports on kindergarten through 12th grade nutrition interventions published between 2009 and 2018 compared with interventions published between 2000 and 2008 based on (1) behaviorally focused, (2) multicomponent, (3) healthful food/school environment (4) family involvement, (5) self-assessments, (6) quantitative evaluation, (7) community involvement, (8) ethnic/heterogeneous groups, (9) multimedia technology, and (10) sequential and sufficient duration. These 10 recommendations help guide educators, researchers, and nutritionists on more effective nutrition interventions. Future use of implementation science to determine potential drivers of adoption, nonadoption, and effectiveness of the recommendations is encouraged.

Attitude and Behavior Factors Associated with Front-of-Package Label Use with Label Users Making Accurate Product Nutrition Assessments.

BACKGROUND: Front-of-package (FOP) labels are increasing in popularity on retail products. Reductive FOP labels provide nutrient-specific information, whereas evaluative FOP labels summarize nutrient information through icons. Better understanding of consumer behavior regarding FOP labels is beneficial to increasing consumer use of nutrition labeling when making grocery purchasing decisions. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine FOP label format effectiveness in aiding consumers at assessing nutrient density of food products. In addition, we sought to determine relationships between FOP label use and attitude toward healthy eating, diet self-assessment, self-reported health and nutrition knowledge, and label and shopping behaviors. DESIGN: A between-subjects experimental design was employed. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four label conditions: Facts Up Front, Facts Up Front Extended, a binary symbol, and no-label control. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: One hundred sixty-one US primary grocery shoppers, aged 18 to 69 years. Participants were randomly invited to the online study. INTERVENTION: Participants in one of four label condition groups viewed three product categories (cereal, dairy, and snacks) with corresponding questions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adults' nutrition assessment of food products based on different FOP label formats, along with label use and attitude toward healthy eating, diet self-assessment, self-reported health and nutrition knowledge, and label and shopping behaviors. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Data analyses included descriptive statistics, χ2 tests, and logistical regression. Significant outcomes were set to α=.05. RESULTS: Participants selected the more nutrient-dense product in the snack food category when it contained an FOP label. Subjective health and nutrition knowledge and frequency of selecting food for healthful reasons were associated with FOP label use (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Both Facts Up Front (reductive) and binary (evaluative) FOP labels appear effective for nutrition assessment of snack products compared with no label. Specific attitude and behavior factors were associated with label use.

The effects of restaurant nutrition menu labelling on college students' healthy eating behaviours.

OBJECTIVE: According to the US Affordable Care Act, restaurant chains are required to provide energy (calorie) and other nutrition information on their menu. The current study examined the impact of menu labelling containing calorie information and recommended daily calorie intake, along with subjective nutrition knowledge, on intention to select lower-calorie foods prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. DESIGN: Full factorial experimental design with participants exposed to four variants of a sample menu in a 2 (presence v. absence of calorie information) ×2 (presence v. absence of recommended daily calorie intake). SETTING: Large, public university in the Southwest USA. SUBJECTS: Primarily undergraduate college students. RESULTS: Majority of participants were 19-23 years of age (mean 21·8 (sd 3·6) years). Menu information about calorie content and respondents' subjective nutrition knowledge had a significantly positive impact on students' intention to select lower-calorie foods (ß=0·24, P<0·001 and ß=0·33, P<0·001, respectively); however, recommended daily calorie intake information on the menu board did not influence students' intention to select lower-calorie foods (ß=0·10, P=0·105). Gender played a significant role on purchase intent for lower-calorie menu items, with females more affected by the calorie information than males (ß=0·37, P<0·001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the role menu labelling can play in encouraging a healthier lifestyle for college students. College students who are Generation Y desire healthier menu options and accept nutritional labels on restaurant menus as a way to easily and expediently obtain nutrition information.

A content analysis of food references in television programming specifically targeting viewing audiences aged 11 to 14 years.

OBJECTIVE: Examine food in cable television programming specifically targeting 11- to 14-year-olds ("tweens"). DESIGN: Content analysis of food-related scenes (FRS)-in which food was shown, mentioned, and/or consumed-in 880 minutes of programming was conducted. SETTING: Five days of afternoon/early evening television programs on the Disney Channel. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS: Food references were compared with USDA MyPlate and classified according to modified Ratio of Recommended to Restricted Food Components. RESULTS: The authors found 331 FRS, averaging 16.6 scenes/h. Preponderance of FRS was physiological needs (40.7%), followed by display (10%), party (8.5%), social event (8%), and retail store (6.6%). Snacks dominated 41% of FRS, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner were much lower in frequency. Half of FRS was visual only, followed by verbal only. Food references were not congruent with MyPlate recommendations; 42% of food items did not fit into MyPlate food groups. Only 24% of food items were fruit or vegetables, which is considerably less than recommended by MyPlate guidelines. Using modified Ratio of Recommended to Restricted Food Components, 66% of food items scored < 1.0, signifying less nutritious. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Tween television programming regularly includes non-nutritious food, which likely influences tweens' attitudes and behaviors. Television programming may consider past approaches to tobacco smoking and health messages on television. More attention is warranted regarding television programming by nutrition educators, researchers, health professionals, and industry specialists.

Relationships among grocery nutrition label users and consumers' attitudes and behavior toward restaurant menu labeling.

In the United States (US), based on the 2010 Affordable Care Act, restaurant chains and similar retail food establishments with 20 or more locations are required to begin implementing calorie information on their menus. As enacting of the law begins, it is important to understand its potential for improving consumers' healthful behaviors. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore relationships among users of grocery nutrition labels and attitudes toward restaurant menu labeling, along with the caloric content of their restaurant menu selection. Study participants were surveyed and then provided identical mock restaurant menus with or without calories. Results found that participants who used grocery nutrition labels and believed they would make healthy menu selections with nutrition labels on restaurant menus made healthier menu selections, regardless of whether the menu displayed calories or not. Consumers' nutrition knowledge and behaviors gained from using grocery nutrition labels and consumers' desire for restaurants to provide nutrition menu labels have a positive effect on their choosing healthful restaurant menu items.

A content analysis of kindergarten-12th grade school-based nutrition interventions: taking advantage of past learning.

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature, identifying proposed recommendations for school-based nutrition interventions, and evaluate kindergarten through 12th grade school-based nutrition interventions conducted from 2000-2008. DESIGN: Proposed recommendations from school-based intervention reviews were developed and used in conducting a content analysis of 26 interventions. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-six school-based nutrition interventions in the United States first published in peer-reviewed journals from 2000-2008. VARIABLE MEASURED: Ten proposed recommendations based on prior analyses of school-based nutrition interventions: (1) behaviorally focused, (2) multicomponents, (3) healthful food/school environment, (4) family involvement, (5) self-assessments, (6) quantitative evaluation, (7) community involvement, (8) ethnic/heterogeneous groups, (9) multimedia technology, and (10) sequential and sufficient duration. ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The most frequent recommendations used were: (1) behaviorally focused components (100%) and (2) quantitative evaluation of food behaviors (96%). Only 15% of the interventions included community involvement or ethnic/heterogeneous groups, whereas 31% included anthropometric measures. Five of the 10 proposed recommendations were included in over 50% of the interventions. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Rising trend of overweight children warrants the need to synthesize findings from previous studies to inform research and program development and assist in identification of high-impact strategies and tactics.

Associations between parental limits, school vending machine purchases, and soft drink consumption among Kentucky middle school students.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between parental limits on soft drinks and purchasing soft drinks from school vending machines and consuming soft drinks among middle school students. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the middle school Youth Risk Behavior Survey. SETTING: Eight public middle schools in central Kentucky. PARTICIPANTS: All sixth- through eighth-grade students in 7 schools and all eighth-grade students in 1 school (n = 4,049). VARIABLES MEASURED: Self-reported parental limits on soft drink intake, school vending machine soft drink purchases, soft drink consumption, and control variables. ANALYSIS: Chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Compared to students with no parental limits on soft drink consumption, students with the strictest limits were less likely to purchase soft drinks from school vending machines and consume soft drinks; conversely, students with minor parental limitations were more likely to consume soft drinks. The odds of consuming soft drinks were nearly 4 times greater when students purchased soft drinks from school vending machines than when they did not. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Further research may enhance understanding of the influence of varying degrees of parental limitations. Efforts to reduce children's soft drink consumption may be augmented by policies limiting soft drink purchases in schools.

Food safety perceptions and behaviors of participants in congregate-meal and home-delivered-meal programs.

The study reported here examined the food safety perceptions, food safety behaviors, and emergency food preparedness of elderly people participating in congregate-meal and home-delivered-meal (HDM) programs as influenced by demographic and socioeconomic variables. Interviewers surveyed elderly people participating in a congregate-meal and HDM program in nine counties in central Kentucky in April 2004 and May 2005. Participants' perceptions of food safety issues showed statistically significant differences by meal site location, age, marital status, and household composition. Participants' self-reported food safety behaviors showed statistically significant differences by marital status, meal site location, age, gender, household composition, race/ethnicity, and level of education. In addition, significant differences were found in seniors' self-reported emergency food preparedness by race and level of education. The study found that some elderly people participating in the Elderly Nutrition Program (ENP) have disconcerting food safety perceptions, engage in risky food-handling behaviors, and lack emergency food and water preparation. Since many elderly people participating in the ENP program are vulnerable, these findings indicate that support and assistance by providers is warranted to protect elderly people from unsafe situations.

Examination of weight status and dietary behaviors of middle school students in Kentucky.

OBJECTIVE: There is growing interest in understanding the roles that fruit, vegetable, milk, breakfast, and soft drink consumption play in relation to adolescents' weight status. This study examines the relationship between weight status and dietary practices of middle school students. DESIGN: This study consists of secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey given to 4,049 middle school students in central Kentucky. METHODS: Students' self-reported height and weight data, as well as 7-day recall of fruits, vegetables, milk, soft drinks, and breakfast consumption prior to completion of the survey, were collected. Self-reported height and weight were converted to body mass index (BMI) percentile according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's classification criteria. OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures included dietary consumption of fruits, vegetables, milk, soft drinks, and breakfast in relation to students' BMI percentile. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics were extracted on demographics, BMI percentile, and food consumption. Bivariate analyses included chi2 tests of association and Spearman rank correlation. RESULTS: Healthy weight was associated with consuming fruits, vegetables, breakfast, and milk. Underweight and healthy-weight students consumed more fruits than students who were at risk of being overweight and overweight. Healthy-weight students consumed more "other vegetables" than students who were at risk of being overweight and more "other vegetables" and carrots than overweight students. Underweight students consumed breakfast more often than all other students, and healthy-weight students consumed breakfast significantly more frequently than students at risk of being overweight and overweight. Finally, overweight students had a significantly lower consumption of milk than all other students. CONCLUSIONS: Parents and school foodservice personnel should take these factors into consideration by developing menu strategies and tactics to encourage more healthful eating behaviors in children.