Effectiveness of Nutrition Interventions in Vending Machines to Encourage the Purchase and Consumption of Healthier Food and Drinks in the University Setting: A Systematic Review.

Megan C Whatnall,Amanda J Patterson,Melinda J Hutchesson

doi:10.3390/nu12030876

Megan C Whatnall, Amanda J Patterson + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030876

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Mar 24, 2020
Citations: 16	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Newcastle Australia

Abstract

University food environments typically offer an abundance of unhealthy foods, including through vending machines. This review evaluated the effectiveness of nutrition interventions in vending machines in the university setting. Ten databases were searched for experimental studies published up to July 2019, evaluating nutrition interventions that aimed to encourage the purchase or consumption of healthier foods and drinks in vending machines in the university setting. In total, 401 articles were identified, and 13 studies were included. Studies were pre-post test (n = 7, 54%), randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (n = 5, 38%), and non-randomized controlled trial (n = 1, 8%). Most studies were from the USA (n = 10, 77%) and were published between 2014 and 2018 (n = 9, 69%). Eight interventions (62%) reported positive change in outcomes, including increased number/proportion of sales or revenue from healthier items (n = 6), improved adherence to guidelines for the ratio of healthy/unhealthy products available (n = 1), and improved consumer perception of items available (n = 1). Effective interventions involved the promotion, reduced pricing, increased availability, and/or optimized product placement of healthier items within vending machines. Strategies to improve the nutritional quality of food and drinks in vending machines are warranted. This may be achieved by making healthier options more available and promoting them; however, more robust intervention studies are needed to determine effectiveness.

Highlights

University food environments typically offer a high proportion of unhealthy food and beverage options
Seven studies were of pre-post test design (54%), five were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (38%), and one was a non-randomized controlled trial (8%) (Table 1)
This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of nutrition interventions in vending machines in the university setting

Summary

Introduction

University food environments typically offer a high proportion of unhealthy food and beverage options. In an audit of 252 food and beverage outlets across seven Australian institutions in 2014, two-thirds of the available items were sugar-sweetened beverages, chocolate, high energy per serve (>600 kJ) foods, chips, or confectionary [1]. 263 dining outlets, found that less than half (40%) offered healthy main dishes [2]. This is an issue, as globally, universities are a place of work and study for millions of individuals [3,4]. University food environments are potentially contributing to poor dietary intakes, as well as the associated overweight/obesity risk, among a large sector of the population [5,6]. There is an international movement toward Health Promoting Universities and Colleges in accordance with the

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Discussion

Conclusion