Impact Of Nutrition Policy Research Articles

School nutrition policy and diet quality of children and youth: a quasi-experimental study from Canada.

We investigated the impact of mandatory school nutrition policy on diet quality of Canadian school children using a quasi-experimental study design. Using 24-h dietary recall data from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 2.2 and 2015 CCHS - Nutrition, we constructed the Diet Quality Index (DQI). We used multivariable difference-in-differences regressions to quantify the DQI scores associated with school nutrition policy. We conducted stratified analyses by sex, school grade, household income, and food security status to gain additional insights into the impact of nutrition policy. We found that mandatory school nutrition policy was associated with an increased DQI score by 3.44 points (95% CI: 1.1, 5.8) during school-hours in intervention provinces relative to control provinces. DQI score was higher among males (3.8 points, 95% CI: 0.6, 7.1) than among females (2.9 points, 95% CI: -0.5, 6.3), and the score among students in elementary schools was higher (5.1 points, 95% CI: 2.3, 8.0) than that among high school students (0.4 points, 95% CI: -3.6, 4.5). We also found that DQI scores were higher for middle-high income and food secure households. Provincial mandatory school nutrition policy was associated with better diet quality among children and youth in Canada. Our findings suggest that other jurisdictions may consider implementing mandatory school nutrition policy.

Examining the Evidence on the Impact of Nutrition Policies on Child Health and Undernutrition Globally: A Scoping Review (P22-017-19)

ObjectivesTo summarize the evidence on the impact of nutrition policies on improving health among children in low-, middle- and high-income countries (LMHICs). MethodsA scoping review was conducted to map and describe peer-reviewed studies evaluating the impact of population-level nutrition policies on child health and undernutrition (using primary data) in LMHICs. We systematically searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and PAIS Index for public policy, to identify eligible studies. Data on key study characteristics, including research design, type of nutrition policy, time span of policy, child’s age at outcome assessment, and types of outcomes assessed, were abstracted. Abstract screening and data abstraction were conducted in duplicate and reconciled. ResultsOf the 5646 abstracts screened, 83 studies were included. The majority of studies were conducted in upper-middle or high-income settings (66%, 54/83 studies) (Figure 1). Most studies were observational study design (49%, 41/83 studies), evaluated regional/sub-national policies (68%, 56/83 studies), reported on mandatory policies (71%, 59/83 studies), were related to micronutrient food fortification and/or supplementation (70%, 58/83 studies), and assessed outcomes among children <5 years of age (55%, 46/83 studies). Iodine deficiency disorders (40%, 33 studies) and neural tube defects (18%, 15 studies) were the most commonly assessed child health outcomes. The impact of policy intervention on outcomes, such as low birth weight, breastfeeding rates, vitamin A deficiencies, and child growth, were assessed less frequently. Policies were largely implemented between 1990–2000 (36%, 30/83 studies) and studies mostly evaluated effects within a year (28%, 23/83) or within 2–5 years since policy implementation (13%, 11/83 studies). ConclusionsAmong the studies reviewed, nutrition policies were commonly associated with improved child nutrition and health. However, current evidence is primarily based on regional studies from high-income settings evaluating the effect of micronutrient food fortification and/or supplementation policies on a narrow set of outcomes. Further research is needed to assess the impact of a broader range of nutrition policies on child health, particularly in LMICs. Funding SourcesFunding for this research was provided by the 2017 SickKids Centre for Global Child Health Catalyst Grant Competition. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs▪

Perspectives from the Third International Summit on Medical Nutrition Education and Research.

Nutrition is an important component of public health and health care, including in education and research, and in the areas of policy and practice. This statement was the overarching message during the third annual International Summit on Medical Nutrition Education and Research, held at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, in August 2017. This summit encouraged attendees to think more broadly about the impact of nutrition policy on health and communities, including the need to visualize the complete food system from “pre-farm to post-fork.” Evidence of health issues related to food and nutrition were presented, including the need for translation of knowledge into policy and practice. Methods for this translation included the use of implementation and behavior change techniques, recognizing the needs of health-care professionals, policy makers, and the public. In all areas of nutrition and health, clear and effective messages, supported by open data, information, and actionable knowledge, are also needed along with strong measures of impact centered on an ultimate goal: to improve nutritional health and wellbeing for patients and the public.

Urban health educators' perspectives and practices regarding school nutrition education policies

Although nutrition-related health education policies exist at national, state and local levels, the degree to which those policies affect the everyday practices of health education teachers who are charged with executing them in schools is often unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the nutrition-related health education policy matrix that affected one urban school district, the health education teachers' awareness of those policies, the impact of nutrition policies on teachers' instruction and challenges teachers perceived in executing comprehensive nutrition education. The study used interpretive ethnography to examine the educational contexts and perspectives of 27 health educators from 24 middle schools in one urban district in the Midwestern United States. Data were collected through school observations, interviews with key personnel and document collection. We found that a network of nutrition-related education policies governed health education teachers' instruction, but that teachers were uniformly unaware of those policies. Without institutional coherence and clear directives, health education teachers taught little nutrition content, primarily due to poor training, professional development, instructional resources and administrative accountability. The results are discussed in light of the enormous challenges in many urban schools and the need for nutrition education professional development.