BMC Public Health

IntroductionSchools are recommended settings for promotion of healthy eating, but to achieve their intended impact, initiatives must be implemented population wide. There is currently limited data available to assess the implementation of Australian school-based healthy eating initiatives. ObjectiveTo assess the implementation of healthy eating initiatives in Australian primary schools and whether implementation is associated with school characteristics. MethodsA cross-sectional study of a nat...

BACKGROUNDThe burden of childhood obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors affecting newcomer Canadians living in lower socioeconomic circumstances is a concerning public health issue. This paper describes Strengthening Community Roots: Anchoring Newcomers in Wellness and Sustainability (SCORE!), an academic-community research partnership to co-design interventions that nurture and optimize healthy activity living (HAL) among a community of children and families new to Canada in Hamilton, Ontari...

IntroductionAccess to hot food takeaways, particularly near schools, is of growing concern for policymakers seeking to reduce childhood obesity globally. In England, United Kingdom (UK), local government jurisdictions are implementing planning policies to reduce access by restricting or denying planning permission for new takeaway outlets near schools. We used a qualitative approach to explore local government officers perspectives on the barriers to and facilitators of the adoption, implementat...

BackgroundLocal authorities (LAs) in England are increasingly using the planning system to control the proliferation of hot food takeaway outlets ( takeaways) near schools as part of a range of policies to promote healthy weight in children. These takeaway management zones (TMZs) include restrictions on planning permission to open new takeaways within a certain distance of a school. In this qualitative study we explore young peoples perspectives of TMZs. MethodsWe purposively recruited 46 youn...

The COVID-19 monitoring behavioural insights study was conducted from April-May 2020 in Finland. Respondents reported feeling confident protecting themselves against COVID-19 infection. Worries shifted from overloading the health system (mean value 5.5 [95% CI: 5.4-5.6]) to mental health concerns (mean value 5.3 [95% CI 5.2-5.4]). Maintaining physical distancing from families and friends decreased by 7% and 6%. Respondents mostly agreed that if a vaccine would become available, they would get it...

BackgroundUniversal Free School Meals (UFSM) were introduced by the Welsh Government in 2022 to provide every primary school child (aged 4-11) with a free meal at lunch time by 2024, aiming to improve nutrition and reduce inequality. While evidence suggests UFSM can support dietary quality and social inclusion; uptake remains inconsistent, and concerns have been raised regarding meal quality and portion sizes. Aims/ObjectivesThis study explored the perceptions of children and parents regarding ...

BackgroundMandatory calorie labelling on menus of large out-of-home food outlets was implemented in England on 6 April 2022. Barriers and facilitators that were unforeseen before implementation may modify policy impacts. As part of a process evaluation of the policy, we studied the implementation process, examining business experiences and enforcement by local authorities (LAs) to identify barriers and facilitators in achieving the policy goals. MethodsUsing purposive sampling, we recruited 11 ...

BackgroundInadequate fruit and vegetable consumption causes a considerable disease burden and premature mortality. Despite considerable public health promotion of a healthy diet the average consumption is still below recommended levels. Fruit and vegetable consumption influences human skin colour, increasing red/yellow/orange pigment in the skin. Given that this colour is deemed attractive and healthy-looking, the appearance benefit may provide motivation to eat more fruit and vegetables. Such a...

BackgroundIn November 2020, during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Missouri allowed local public health jurisdictions the option to implement a modified quarantine policy allowing kindergarten through 12 (K-12) students with low-risk exposures to continue in-person learning. We assessed adherence to quarantine among participants in modified quarantine and standard home quarantine and the psychosocial impacts of quarantine on students and families. MethodsIn January-March 2021, as part of an investigat...

BackgroundTo improve the food environment and guide consumers to select healthier foods, the implementation of a front of package warning labelling (FOPWL) started in Mexico in October 2020. We aimed to identify the self-reported support, understanding, use and perceived impact of the FOPWL 1-5 months after its implementation among parents of school-aged children across socioeconomic categories and nutrition knowledge and attitudes. MethodsEPHA-nin@s is a national web-based cohort of Mexican ch...

This study assessed the provision of calorie labelling in the digital out-of-home food sector following the implementation of mandatory calorie labelling for large businesses in England in April 2022. Using online menu data from two major food delivery services between June 2022 and October 2023, the number of restaurants available for delivery and the share of restaurants displaying calories was determined for every neighbourhood (Lower layer Super Output Area/Data Zone) in Great Britain. Among...

ObjectiveKey to slowing the spread of SARS-Cov-2 is adherence to preventive behaviours promoted through government policies, which may be influenced by policy awareness, attitudes and concerns about the virus and its impacts. This study assessed determinants of adherence to major coronavirus preventive behaviours, including demographics, attitudes and concerns, among Canadians during the first pandemic wave. MethodsAs part of the iCARE study (www.iCAREstudy.com), we weighted data from two popul...

BackgroundKnowledge of the distribution, prevalence, and clustering of multiple health and lifestyle related behaviours (HLBs) among adolescents can inform the development of more effective health-promoting policies and interventions. We therefore assessed the clustering of multiple HLBs among 11, 13 and 15-year-old Swedish adolescents and examined the socioeconomic and demographic correlates of each cluster. MethodsWe used data from the 2017/2018 Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Childre...

IntroductionFiscal policies are recommended as an effective policy to promote healthy nutrition and prevent non-communicable diseases. Sugar-sweetened beverage taxes are widely used, however there are fewer examples of taxes targeting unhealthy foods. Tonga introduced taxes targeting foods high in fat, salt, sugar from 2013 to 2018. This study examines the effect of these tax increases on food prices and import volumes. MethodsInterrupted time series analysis using segmented generalised least s...

During adolescence, many young people start to make more independent food purchases. Subsequently, these independent food choices will increasingly contribute to their overall diet quality; little is known, however, about this relationship. This study aimed to examine the role adolescents independent food purchases play in their diet quality and assess if these relationships vary according to socio-economic status. A convenience sample of adolescents aged 11-18 years and attending secondary sch...

BackgroundThere is accumulating evidence that ultra-processed foods are associated with many non-communicable diseases. In the United Kingdom, ultra-processed foods account for more than half of mean daily energy intake. There is limited evidence describing how individuals make sense of ultra-processed foods in their daily lives. We aimed to explore: public perceptions of ultra-processed foods and their relationship to health; how these are shaped by different information sources; whether percep...

BackgroundThe ubiquity and popularity of social media among youth has led to skyrocketing increases in cyberbullying rates among American teens. National studies show cyberbullying victimization is experienced differently by sex, race, and sexual orientation. While rural youth experience bullying at higher rates than urban teens, few studies have focused on the rural experience. AimA primary objective of this study is to assess associations between bullying modalities and suicidality among resp...

IntroductionPeople in low-income households face a disproportionate burden of health and economic consequences brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, including COVID-19 and food insufficiency. State minimum wage and paid sick leave policies may affect whether people are vulnerable to employment and health shocks to income and affect food insufficiency. MethodsWe evaluated the relationship between state minimum wage policies and the outcome of household food insufficiency among participants younge...

ObjectivesThe extent to which people implement government-issued protective measures is critical in preventing further spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Our study aimed to evaluate the public belief in the effectiveness of protective measures, the reported implementation of these measures in daily life, and to identify communication channels used to acquire relevant information on COVID-19 in European countries. DesignA cross-sectional online survey...

In North America and Europe, the Fall 2020 school term has coincided with the beginning of the second wave of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, sparking a heated debate about the role of in-person schooling for community transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This issue has immediate policy relevance for deciding how to operate schools safely as the pandemic unfolds, new variants of SARS-CoV-2 are circulating, and immunization coverage remains low....