Abstract
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. 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. Alberta, Canada. Not applicable. 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. 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.
Highlights
Most Expert Working Group (EWG) members have participated in Nutrition Report Card (NRC) production from its inception, there has been some flux in membership along the way
In addition to grading NRC indicators and helping to craft themes and recommendations, the EWG is engaged sporadically throughout the year for purposes such as reviewing data collected to date to ensure that key sources of information are not overlooked and in facilitating data access
Working alongside the EWG, such as through grading NRC indicators, has facilitated reflection on lessons learned from our successes and challenges in producing the NRC each year
Summary
The NRC is continuously refined to enhance its relevance as a knowledge translation tool for its target audiences of researchers, practitioners, policymakers and the general public. Survey question Respondents who indicated that, as a result of reading the NRC, they plan to: Encourage their organisation to adopt a new strategy/ approach Collaborate with colleagues and/or other organisations working on the same issues Use the same information to assist in decision making Respondents who indicated that the information from the NRC will change their organisation’s behaviours, policies or practices Respondents who indicated that the NRC is achieving its objective of increasing awareness about the relevance of food environments and nutrition for health promotion and obesity prevention in children and youth Respondents who indicated that the NRC is successful in advancing and communicating knowledge on the current environments and policies that support or create barriers to improving children and youth’s dietary behaviours and body weights and that are associated with food environments and nutrition Respondents who indicated that the NRC is valuable in influencing government and non-government issues as well as stakeholders to create and enhance policies, programmes and campaigns that improve food environment and nutrition opportunities for children and youth.
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