Food environment research in Canada: a rapid review of methodologies and measures deployed between 2010 and 2021.

Numerous research methodologies have been used to examine food environments. Existing reviews synthesizing food environment measures have examined a limited number of domains or settings and none have specifically targeted Canada. This rapid review aimed to 1) map research methodologies and measures that have been used to assess food environments; 2) examine what food environment dimensions and equity related-factors have been assessed; and 3) identify research gaps and priorities to guide future research. A systematic search of primary articles evaluating the Canadian food environment in a real-world setting was conducted. Publications in English or French published in peer-reviewed journals between January 1 2010 and June 17 2021 and indexed in Web of Science, CAB Abstracts and Ovid MEDLINE were considered. The search strategy adapted an internationally-adopted food environment monitoring framework covering 7 domains (Food Marketing; Labelling; Prices; Provision; Composition; Retail; and Trade and Investment). The final sample included 220 articles. Overall, Trade and Investment (1%, n = 2), Labelling (7%, n = 15) and, to a lesser extent, Prices (14%, n = 30) were the least studied domains in Canada. Among Provision articles, healthcare (2%, n = 1) settings were underrepresented compared to school (67%, n = 28) and recreation and sport (24%, n = 10) settings, as was the food service industry (14%, n = 6) compared to grocery stores (86%, n = 36) in the Composition domain. The study identified a vast selection of measures employed in Canada overall and within single domains. Equity-related factors were only examined in half of articles (n = 108), mostly related to Retail (n = 81). A number of gaps remain that prevent a holistic and systems-level analysis of food environments in Canada. As Canada continues to implement policies to improve the quality of food environments in order to improve dietary patterns, targeted research to address identified gaps and harmonize methods across studies will help evaluate policy impact over time.

Exploring the prospective acceptability of a healthy food incentive program from the perspective of people with type 2 diabetes and experiences of household food insecurity in Alberta, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: FoodRx is a 12-month healthy food prescription incentive program for people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and experiences of household food insecurity. In this study, we aimed to explore potential users' prospective acceptability (acceptability prior to program use) of the design and delivery of the FoodRx incentive and identify factors influencing prospective acceptability. DESIGN: We used a qualitative descriptive approach and purposive sampling to recruit individuals who were interested or uninterested in using the FoodRx incentive. Semi-structured interviews were guided by the theoretical framework of acceptability, and corresponding interview transcripts were analysed using differential qualitative analysis guided by the socioecological model. SETTING: Individuals living in Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: In total, fifteen adults with T2DM and experiences of household food insecurity. RESULTS: People who were interested in using the FoodRx incentive (n 10) perceived it to be more acceptable than those who were uninterested (n 5). We identified four themes that captured factors that influenced users' prospective acceptability: (i) participants' confidence, views and beliefs of FoodRx design and delivery and its future use (intrapersonal), (ii) the shopping routines and roles of individuals in participants' social networks (interpersonal), (iii) access to and experience with food retail outlets (community), and (iv) income and food access support to cope with the cost of living (policy). CONCLUSION: Future healthy food prescription programs should consider how factors at all levels of the socioecological model influence program acceptability and use these data to inform program design and delivery.

Extending an Antiracism Lens to the Implementation of Precision Public Health Interventions.

Precision public health holds promise to improve disease prevention and health promotion strategies, allowing the right intervention to be delivered to the right population at the right time. Growing concerns underscore the potential for precision-based approaches to exacerbate health disparities by relying on biased data inputs and recapitulating existing access inequities. To achieve its full potential, precision public health must focus on addressing social and structural drivers of health and prominently incorporate equity-related concerns, particularly with respect to race and ethnicity. In this article, we discuss how an antiracism lens could be applied to reduce health disparities and health inequities through equity-informed research, implementation, and evaluation of precision public health interventions. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(11):1210-1218. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307386).

Towards effective restriction of unhealthy food marketing to children: unlocking the potential of artificial intelligence.

The World Health Organization recommends that member states enact policies to limit unhealthy food marketing to children. Chile enacted relatively stringent laws that restrict unhealthy food marketing to children in two phases, beginning in 2016. Dillman-Carpentier and colleagues examined the incremental effectiveness of the first and second phases of Chile's policy in limiting children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing on television relative to pre-policy. Banning advertisements for all 'high-in' products (i.e., those that exceeded thresholds for energy, saturated fats, sugars and/or sodium) during the daytime (phase 2) was more effective in reducing children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing on television than only banning 'high-in' marketing during programs with large child audiences (phase 1). These findings underscore the importance of implementing comprehensive policies that reduce children's exposure to all marketing for unhealthy foods-not simply that which targets them directly-to better protect them from its negative impacts. However, although policies in Chile and other nations have reduced children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing in broadcast media, it is not clear whether such policies have meaningfully reduced children's overall food marketing exposures. This is partly due to the challenges of studying children's digital food marketing exposures, which are an increasingly important source of unhealthy food marketing. To address these methodologic gaps, several research teams are developing artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled systems to assess food marketing to children on digital media and support efforts to monitor compliance with policies that restrict this marketing. These and other AI systems will be essential to comprehensively and systematically study and monitor food marketing to children on digital media internationally and at scale.

Do food-related capabilities, opportunities and motivations of adolescents mediate the association between socioeconomic position in adolescence and diet quality in early adulthood?

BACKGROUND: Socio-economic position (SEP) in adolescence may influence diet quality over the life course. However, knowledge of whether individual and environmental determinants of diet quality mediate the longitudinal association between SEP and diet quality is limited. This study examined whether and to what extent food-related capabilities, opportunities and motivations of adolescents mediated the longitudinal association between SEP in adolescence and diet quality in early adulthood overall and by sex. METHODS: Longitudinal data (annual surveys) from 774 adolescents (16.9 years at baseline; 76% female) from ProjectADAPT (T1 (baseline), T2, T3) were used. SEP in adolescence (T1) was operationalized as highest level of parental education and area-level disadvantage (based on postcode). The Capabilities, Opportunities and Motivations for Behaviour (COM-B) model was used as a framework to inform the analysis. Determinants in adolescence (T2) included food-related activities and skills (Capability), home availability of fruit and vegetables (Opportunity) and self-efficacy (Motivation). Diet quality in early adulthood (T3) was calculated using a modified version of the Australian Dietary Guidelines Index based on brief dietary questions on intake of foods from eight food groups. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate the mediating effects of adolescents' COM-B in associations between adolescent SEP and diet quality in early adulthood overall and by sex. Standardized beta coefficients (ß) and robust 95% confidence intervals (CI) were generated, adjusted for confounders (T1 age, sex, diet quality, whether still at school, and living at home) and clustering by school. RESULTS: There was evidence of an indirect effect of area-level disadvantage on diet quality via Opportunity (ß: 0.021; 95% CI: 0.003 to 0.038), but limited evidence for parental education (ß: 0.018; 95% CI: -0.003 to 0.039). Opportunity mediated 60.9% of the association between area-level disadvantage and diet quality. There was no evidence of an indirect effect via Capability or Motivation for either area-level disadvantage or parental education, or in males and females separately. CONCLUSIONS: Using the COM-B model, the home availability of fruit and vegetables (Opportunity) of adolescents explained a large proportion of the association between area-level disadvantage in adolescence and diet quality in early adulthood. Interventions to address poor diet quality among adolescents with a lower SEP should prioritize environmental determinants of diet quality.

The contribution of modifiable risk factors to socioeconomic inequities in cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality: A nationally representative population-based cohort study.

This study examined the individual and joint effects of modifiable risk factors mediating the associations between socioeconomic position (SEP) and morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in a nationally representative sample of adults in Canada. Participants in the Canadian Community Health Survey (n = 289,800) were followed longitudinally for CVD morbidity and mortality using administrative health and mortality data. SEP was measured as a latent variable consisting of household income and individual educational attainment. Mediators included smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes and hypertension. The primary outcome was CVD morbidity and mortality, defined as the first fatal/nonfatal CVD event during follow-up (median 6.2 years). Generalized structural equation modeling tested the mediating effects of modifiable risk factors in associations between SEP and CVD in the total population and stratified by sex. Lower SEP was associated with 2.5 times increased odds of CVD morbidity and mortality (OR: 2.52, 95% CI: 2.28, 2.76). Modifiable risk factors mediated 74% of associations between SEP and CVD morbidity and mortality in the total population and were more important mediators of associations in females (83%) than males (62%). Smoking mediated these associations independently and jointly with other mediators. The mediating effects of physical inactivity were through joint mediating effects with obesity, diabetes or hypertension. There were additional joint mediating effects of obesity through diabetes or hypertension in females. Findings point to modifiable risk factors as important targets for interventions along with interventions that target structural determinants of health to reduce socioeconomic inequities in CVD.

Identifying factors that shape whether digital food marketing appeals to children.

OBJECTIVE: Children are frequently exposed to unhealthy food marketing on digital media. This marketing contains features that often appeal to children, such as cartoons or bold colours. Additional factors can also shape whether marketing appeals to children. In this study, in order to assess the most important predictors of child appeal in digital food marketing, we used machine learning to examine how marketing techniques and children's socio-demographic characteristics, weight, height, BMI, frequency of screen use and dietary intake influence whether marketing instances appeal to children. DESIGN: We conducted a pilot study with thirty-nine children. Children were divided into thirteen groups, in which they evaluated whether food marketing instances appealed to them. Children's agreement was measured using Fleiss' kappa and the S score. Text, labels, objects and logos extracted from the ads were combined with children's variables to build four machine-learning models to identify the most important predictors of child appeal. SETTING: Households in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: 39 children aged 6-12 years. RESULTS: Agreement between children was low. The models indicated that the most important predictors of child appeal were the text and logos embedded in the food marketing instances. Other important predictors included children's consumption of vegetables and soda, sex and weekly hours of television. CONCLUSIONS: Text and logos embedded in the food marketing instances were the most important predictors of child appeal. The low agreement among children shows that the extent to which different marketing strategies appeal to children varies.

Experiences and perceived outcomes of a grocery gift card programme for households at risk of food insecurity.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored programme recipients' and deliverers' experiences and perceived outcomes of accessing or facilitating a grocery gift card (GGC) programme from I Can for Kids (iCAN), a community-based programme that provides GGC to low-income families with children. DESIGN: This qualitative descriptive study used Freedman et al's framework of nutritious food access to guide data generation and analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between August and November 2020. Data were analysed using directed content analysis with a deductive-inductive approach. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-four participants were purposively recruited, including thirty-seven programme recipients who accessed iCAN's GGC programme and seventeen programme deliverers who facilitated it. SETTING: Calgary, Alberta, Canada. RESULTS: Three themes were generated from the data. First, iCAN's GGC programme promoted a sense of autonomy and dignity among programme recipients as they appreciated receiving financial support, the flexibility and convenience of using GGC, and the freedom to select foods they desired. Recipients perceived these benefits improved their social and emotional well-being. Second, recipients reported that the use of GGC improved their households' dietary patterns and food skills. Third, both participant groups identified programmatic strengths and limitations. CONCLUSION: Programme recipients reported that iCAN's GGC programme provided them with dignified access to nutritious food and improved their households' finances, dietary patterns, and social and emotional well-being. Increasing the number of GGC provided to households on each occasion, establishing clear and consistent criteria for distributing GGC to recipients, and increasing potential donors' awareness of iCAN's GGC programme may augment the amount of support iCAN could provide to households.

Investigating the Intersections of Racial Identity and Perceived Income Adequacy in Relation to Dietary Quality Among Adults in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Structural racism and economic marginalization shape dietary patterns in complex ways. Most research examining race and income inequities discount their interactions in shaping dietary intakes. An intersectional approach is needed to identify interconnected sources of social inequities and to more precisely locate dietary inequities. OBJECTIVES: We examined whether racial identity and perceived income adequacy independently and jointly shape dietary quality, defined using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015, among a large sample of adults in Canada. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 2540 adults (≥18 years of age) in Canada who participated in the 2019 International Food Policy Study were analyzed. Multivariable linear regression models were executed to test the independent associations and interactions between racial identity and perceived income adequacy with HEI-2015 scores. Models were constructed to examine HEI-2015 total and component scores, adjusting for age, gender, and education. RESULTS: Perceived income adequacy, but not racial identity, was independently associated with HEI-2015 total scores. The interaction between racial identity and perceived income adequacy was significantly associated with HEI-2015 scores. Compared to the reference group (individuals identifying as White and reporting income adequacy), those identifying as Black and reporting income adequacy were associated with lower HEI-2015 scores (ß, -7.30; 95% CI, -13.07 to -1.54) and those identifying as Black and reporting income inadequacy were associated with lower HEI-2015 scores (ß, -6.37; 95% CI, -12.13 to -0.60). Individuals who identified as indigenous and reported neither income adequacy nor inadequacy had lower HEI-2015 scores (ß, -8.50; 95% CI, -13.82 to -3.18) compared to the reference group. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that racial identity and perceived income adequacy jointly shape dietary quality. Inequities in dietary quality may be missed when intersecting racial identities and socioeconomic positions are not explicitly investigated. To support healthier dietary patterns, strategies must reduce socioeconomic barriers that impose dietary constraints on some racialized groups.

'My coupons are like gold': experiences and perceived outcomes of low-income adults participating in the British Columbia Farmers' Market Nutrition Coupon Program.

OBJECTIVE: The British Columbia Farmers' Market Nutrition Coupon Program (FMNCP) provides low-income households with coupons valued at $21/week for 16 weeks to purchase healthy foods in farmers' markets. Our objective was to explore FMNCP participants' experiences of accessing nutritious foods, and perceived programme outcomes. DESIGN: The current study used qualitative description methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with FMNCP participants during the 2019 farmers' market season. Directed content analysis was used to analyse the data, whereby the five domains of Freedman et al.'s framework of nutritious food access provided the basis for an initial coding scheme. Data that did not fit within the framework's domains were coded inductively. SETTING: One urban and two rural communities in British Columbia, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-eight adults who were participating in the FMNCP. RESULTS: Three themes emerged: autonomy and dignity, social connections and community building, and environmental and programmatic constraints. Firstly, the programme promoted a sense of autonomy and dignity through financial support, increased access to high-quality produce, food-related education and skill development and mitigating stigma and shame. Secondly, shopping in farmers' markets increased social connections and fostered a sense of community. Finally, participants experienced limited food variety in rural farmers' markets, lack of transportation and challenges with redeeming coupons. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in the FMNCP facilitated access to nutritious foods and enhanced participants' diet quality, well-being and health. Strategies such as increasing the amount and duration of subsidies and expanding programmes may help improve participants' experiences and outcomes of farmers' market food subsidy programmes.

Are stress-related pathways of social status differentiation more important determinants of health inequities in countries with higher levels of income inequality?

We explored socioeconomic gradients in self-rated overall health (SROH) using indicators of materialist (educational attainment and perceived income adequacy) and psychosocial perspectives (subjective social status (SSS)) among adults living in countries with varying levels of income inequality, and the importance of psychosocial stress in mediating these associations. If psychosocial processes at the individual and societal levels correspond, associations between SSS and SROH should be higher among adults in countries with higher income inequality, and psychosocial stress should be a more important mediator of these associations. We used multigroup structural equation models to analyse cross-sectional data from the International Food Policy Study of adults (n = 22,824) in Australia, Canada, Mexico, the UK and the United States. Associations between SSS and SROH were not higher in more unequal countries, nor was psychosocial stress a more important mediator of these associations. Inequities in SROH in more unequal countries may not predominantly reflect stress-related pathways of social status differentiation.

Trends in Socioeconomic Inequities in Diet Quality between 2004 and 2015 among a Nationally Representative Sample of Children in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Dietary inequities in childhood may shape dietary and health inequities across the life course. Quantifying the magnitude and direction of trends in absolute and relative gaps and gradients in diet quality according to multiple indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP) can inform strategies to narrow these inequities. OBJECTIVES: We examined trends in absolute and relative gaps and gradients in diet quality between 2004 and 2015 according to 3 indicators of SEP among a nationally representative sample of children in Canada. METHODS: Data from children (aged 2-17 y; n = 18,670) who participated in the cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition in 2004 or 2015 were analyzed. SEP was based on total household income, household educational attainment, and neighborhood deprivation. Dietary intake data from 1 interviewer-administered 24-h dietary recall were used to derive a Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) score for each participant as a measure of diet quality. Inequities in diet quality were quantified using 4 indices: absolute and relative gaps (between highest and lowest SEP) and absolute (Slope Index of Inequality) and relative gradients (Relative Index of Inequality). Overall and age-stratified multivariable linear regression and generalized linear models examined trends in HEI-2015 scores between 2004 and 2015. RESULTS: Although mean HEI-2015 total scores improved from 52.3 to 57.3 (maximum 100 points; P < 0.001), absolute and relative gaps and gradients in diet quality remained mostly stable for all 3 SEP indicators. However, among children aged 6-11 y, absolute and relative gradients in diet quality according to household educational attainment and neighborhood deprivation widened. CONCLUSIONS: The diet quality of children in Canada was poor and inequitably patterned in 2004 and 2015. Although mean diet quality improved between 2004 and 2015, absolute and relative gaps and gradients in diet quality persisted, with some evidence of widening absolute and relative gradients among 6- to 11-y-olds.

Planting seeds of change: reconceptualizing what people eat as eating practices and patterns.

Language focused on individual dietary behaviors, or alternatively, lifestyle choices or decisions, suggests that what people eat and drink is primarily a choice that comes down to free will. Referring to and intervening upon food consumption as though it were a freely chosen behavior has an inherently logical appeal due to its simplicity and easily defined targets of intervention. However, despite decades of behavioral interventions, population-level patterns of food consumption remain suboptimal. This debate paper interrogates the manner in which language frames how problems related to poor diet quality are understood and addressed within society. We argue that referring to food consumption as a behavior conveys the idea that it is primarily a freely chosen act that can be ameliorated through imploring and educating individuals to make better selections. Leveraging practice theory, we subsequently propose that using the alternative language of eating practices and patterns better conveys the socially situated nature of food consumption. This language may therefore point to novel avenues for intervention beyond educating and motivating individuals to eat more healthfully, to instead focus on creating supportive contexts that enable sustained positive dietary change. Clearly, shifting discourse will not on its own transform the science and practice of nutrition. Nevertheless, the seeds of change may lie in aligning our terminology, and thus, our framing, with desired solutions.

Appetite for change? Facilitators and barriers to nutrition guideline implementation in Canadian recreational facilities.

As providers of community-based physical activity programs, recreation and sports facilities serve as an important resource for health promotion. Unfortunately, the food environments within these settings often do not reflect healthy eating guidelines. This study sought to describe facilitators and barriers to implementing provincial nutrition guidelines in recreation and sports facilities in three Canadian provinces with nutrition guidelines. Semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically to identify facilitators and barriers to implementing provincial nutrition guidelines. Facilitators and barriers were then categorised using a modified "inside out" socio-ecological model that places health-related and other social environments at the centre. A total of 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted at two time-points across the three guideline provinces. Interview participants included recreation staff managers, facility committee or board members and recreation volunteers. Eight facilitators and barriers were identified across five levels of the inside out socio-ecological model. Facilitators included provincial or municipal expectations of guideline implementation, clear communication to staff around guideline directives and the presence of a champion within the community or facility who supported guideline implementation. Barriers included unhealthy food culture within community, competition from other food providers and issues within food service contracts that undermined healthy food provision. Findings reinforce the importance of top down (clear expectations regarding guideline implementation at the time of approval) and bottom up (need for buy-in from multiple stakeholders) approaches to ensure successful implementation of nutrition guidelines. The application of a modified socio-ecological model allowed for a more nuanced understanding of leverage points to support successful guideline implementation. Lay summary Healthy eating is an important behaviour for preventing chronic diseases. Supporting people to access healthy foods in places where they live, learn, work or play is a public health priority. Recreation and sports facilities are a setting where people can be physically active. Unfortunately, the food environment in these settings may not reflect nutrition guidelines. In this study, we interviewed key stakeholders from recreation and sports facilities in three Canadian provinces who had put guidelines for healthy eating in place. We used a specific framework to do this called the inside out socio-ecological model. Eight facilitators and barriers were identified using this model. Facilitators included provincial or municipal expectations of guideline implementation, clear communication to staff around guideline directives and the presence of a champion within the community or facility who supported guideline implementation. Barriers included unhealthy food culture within community, competition from other food providers and issues within food service contracts that undermined healthy food provision. Our findings can help people working in recreation and sports facilities to identify issues that may help or hinder healthy food provision in these settings.

A Nutrition Report Card on food environments for children and youth: 5 years of experience from Canada.

OBJECTIVE: In 2014, a Nutrition Report Card (NRC) was developed as a sustainable, low-cost framework to assess the healthfulness of children's food environments and highlight action to support healthy eating. We summarise our experiences in producing, disseminating, evaluating and refining an annual NRC in a Canadian province from 2015 to 2019. DESIGN: To produce the NRC, children's food environment indicator data are collected, analyzed and compiled for consensus grading by an Expert Working Group of researchers and practitioners. Knowledge translation activities are tailored annually to the needs of target audiences: researchers, practitioners, policymakers and the public. Evaluation of reach is conducted through diverse strategies, including tracking media coverage and website traffic. Assessment of impact on diets and health outcomes is planned. SETTING: Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Not applicable. DISCUSSION: The grading process has facilitated refining the NRC to enhance its relevance and utility as a tool for its target audiences. Its public release consistently captures media interest and policymakers' attention. The importance of partnerships in revealing data sources and in strategising to enhance policy approaches to improve food environments is apparent. The NRC has benchmarked progress and stimulated dialogue regarding healthy food environments for children. CONCLUSIONS: The NRC may help to foster a supportive climate for improving the quality of children's food environments. As an engaging and accessible document, the NRC represents a key mechanism for collating data related to children's food environments and ensuring it reaches the audiences best positioned to use it. Efforts are underway to expand the NRC across Canada.

An evaluation of SecondBite® 's FoodMate® , a nutrition education and skill-building program aimed at reducing food insecurity.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Enhancing food skills and nutrition knowledge may help promote healthy eating among people who are food insecure. FoodMate® by SecondBite® , an 8-week nutrition education and food hamper program, focuses on developing food skills and independence among Australians at risk of/experiencing food insecurity. This study aimed to explore participants' perceptions of and experiences with FoodMate® over a long-term (up to 2 years) follow-up. METHODS: For evaluation purposes, SecondBite® previously collected data from participants prior to (T1) and following completion (T2) of FoodMate® . This paper reports results from semi-structured telephone interviews conducted in a follow-up study (2016/2017, T3) among 19 adults enrolled in FoodMate® programs delivered in Victoria and New South Wales within the previous two years. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis of responses to T3 open-ended questions, and descriptive analysis of closed-ended question responses (T1 vs T2 vs T3). RESULTS: Major qualitative themes included program enjoyment; perceived positive long-term program impact on participants' eating and related attitudes and skills; barriers to cooking; suggested program modifications; and impact on others. In descriptive quantitative analyses, participants' diet; confidence to cook using basic ingredients, follow simple recipes and try new foods; cooking and food-related skills; social engagement and life satisfaction all improved between T1 and T3. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, FoodMate® was well-received and associated with long-term positive changes in a range of outcomes. Wider implementation among vulnerable groups should be considered. SO WHAT?: Future health promotion initiatives could adopt FoodMate® to increase food skills and knowledge among adults experiencing food insecurity.

Smaller dishware to reduce energy intake: fact or fiction?

The potential effects of dishware size on energy intake are unclear, as many previous studies have been of low methodological quality. A newly published paper by Kosite et al. (IJBNPA 10.1186/s12966-019-0826-1, 2019) reports findings from a rigorous, pre-registered investigation of the effects of manipulating plate size on total energy intake within a single eating occasion. This Editorial considers the implications of these new findings in light of previous evidence pertaining to the efficacy of behavioral nudges in particular, and in relation to contextual drivers of food consumption more generally. We conclude that the potential impact of behavioral nudges may have been exaggerated in the past, and call for future high-quality randomized controlled trials to establish whether reducing dishware size and other behavioral nudges might offer an effective complement to more comprehensive, multi-level interventions to reduce overconsumption of foods and beverages at a population-level.

Eat, play, live: a randomized controlled trial within a natural experiment examining the role of nutrition policy and capacity building in improving food environments in recreation and sport facilities.

BACKGROUND: Recreation and sport facilities often have unhealthy food environments that may promote unhealthy dietary patterns among children. In response, some Canadian provinces have released voluntary nutrition guidelines for recreation and sport facilities, however implementation has been limited. Organizational capacity building may overcome barriers to implementing guidelines. Eat, Play, Live was a randomized controlled trial embedded within a natural experiment that tested the impact of an 18 month capacity building intervention (CBI) in enhancing implementation of provincial nutrition guidelines, and whether nutrition guidelines were associated with positive changes. Primary outcomes were facility capacity, policy development and food environment quality. METHODS: Recreation and sport facilities in three guideline provinces were randomized into a guideline + CBI (GL + CBI; n = 17) or a guideline only comparison condition (GL-ONLY; n = 15). Facilities in a province without guidelines constituted a second comparison condition (NO-GL; n = 17). Facility capacity, policy development, and food environment quality (vending and concession) were measured and compared at baseline and follow-up across conditions using repeated measures ANOVA and Chi-square statistics. Healthfulness of vending and concession items was rated as Do Not Sell (least nutritious), Sell Sometimes or Sell Most (most nutritious). RESULTS: There were significant time by condition effects, with significant increases in facility capacity (mean ± SD: 30.8 ± 15.6% to 62.3 ± 22.0%; p <  0.01), nutrition policy development (17.6% developed new policies; p = 0.049), overall quality of the concession food environment (14.7 ± 8.4 to 17.5 ± 7.2; p <  0.001), and in the proportion of Sell Most (3.7 ± 4.4% to 11.0 ± 9.0%; p = 0.002) and Sell Sometimes vending snacks (22.4 ± 14.4% to 43.8 ± 15.8%; p <  0.001) in GL + CBI facilities, with a significant decline in Do Not Sell vending snacks (74.0 ± 16.6% to 45.2 ± 20.1%; p <  0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Significant improvements in facility capacity, policy development and food environment quality occurred in recreation and sport facilities that were exposed to nutrition guidelines and participated in a CBI. Outcomes did not improve in facilities that were only passively or not at all exposed to guidelines. Ongoing capacity building may enhance implementation of voluntary nutrition guidelines, however food environments remained overwhelmingly unhealthy, suggesting additional scope to enhance implementation. TRIALS REGISTRATION: Clinical trials registration (retrospectively registered): ISRCTN14669997 Jul 3, 2018.

The association between sedentary behaviour and indicators of stress: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence shows sedentary behaviour may be associated with mental health outcomes. Yet, the strength of the evidence linking sedentary behaviour and stress is still unclear. This study aimed to synthesise evidence regarding associations between time spent in sedentary behaviour and stress in adults. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted (January 1990 - September 2019). Following PRISMA guidelines, an evaluation of methodological quality, and best-evidence synthesis of associations between time in sedentary behaviour (including sitting time, TV viewing, computer use) and stress were presented. Twenty-six studies reporting on data from n = 72,795 people (age 18-98y, 62.7% women) were included. RESULTS: Across the studies (n = 2 strong-, n = 10 moderate- and n = 14 weak-quality), there was insufficient evidence that overall time spent in sedentary behaviour and sitting time were associated with stress, particularly when using self-report measures of sedentary behaviour or stress. There was strong evidence of no association between TV viewing, or computer use and stress. Amongst studies using objective measures of sedentary behaviour and/or stress there was also strong evidence of no association. CONCLUSION: Although previous research suggested sedentary behaviour may be linked to mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety, the evidence for an association between various types of sedentary behaviour and stress is limited in quality, and associations are either inconsistent or null. High-quality longitudinal/interventional research is required to confirm findings and determine the direction of associations between different contexts (i.e. purpose) and domains (i.e. leisure, occupational, transport) of sedentary behaviour and stress.

Are dietary inequalities among Australian adults changing? a nationally representative analysis of dietary change according to socioeconomic position between 1995 and 2011-13.

BACKGROUND: Increasing inequalities in rates of obesity and chronic disease may be partly fuelled by increasing dietary inequalities, however very few nationally representative analyses of socioeconomic trends in dietary inequalities exist. The release of the 2011-13 Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey data allows investigation of change in dietary intake according to socioeconomic position (SEP) in Australia using a large, nationally representative sample, compared to the previous national survey in 1995. This study examined change in dietary intakes of energy, macronutrients, fiber, fruits and vegetables among Australian adults between 1995 and 2011-13, according to SEP. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were obtained from the 1995 National Nutrition Survey, and the 2011-13 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. Dietary intake data were collected via a 24-h dietary recall (n = 17,484 adults) and a dietary questionnaire (n = 15,287 adults). SEP was assessed according to educational level, equivalized household income, and area-level disadvantage. Survey-weighted linear and logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex/gender and smoking status, examined change in dietary intakes over time. RESULTS: Dietary intakes remained poor across the SEP spectrum in both surveys, as evidenced by high consumption of saturated fat and total sugars, and low fiber, fruit and vegetable intakes. There was consistent evidence (i.e. according to ≥2 SEP measures) of more favorable changes in dietary intakes of carbohydrate, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat in higher, relative to lower SEP groups, particularly in women. Intakes of energy, total fat, saturated fat and fruit differed over time according to a single SEP measure (i.e. educational level, household income, or area-level disadvantage). There were no changes in intake of total sugars, protein, fiber or vegetables according to any SEP measures. CONCLUSIONS: There were few changes in dietary intakes of energy, most macronutrients, fiber, fruits and vegetables in Australian adults between 1995 and 2011-13 according to SEP. For carbohydrate, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, more favorable changes in intakes occurred in higher SEP groups. Despite the persistence of suboptimal dietary intakes, limited evidence of widening dietary inequalities is positive from a public health perspective. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trials registration: ACTRN12617001045303 .