scholarly journals Availability of food and beverage items on school canteen menus and association with items purchased by children of primary-school age

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 2907-2914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Clinton-McHarg ◽  
Lisa Janssen ◽  
Tessa Delaney ◽  
Kathryn Reilly ◽  
Tim Regan ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo (i) describe the proportion of foods and beverages available on school canteen menus classified as having high (‘green’), moderate (‘amber’) or low (‘red’) nutritional value; (ii) describe the proportion of these items purchased by students; and (iii) examine the association between food and beverage availability on school canteen menus and food and beverage purchasing by students.DesignA cross-sectional study was conducted as part of a larger randomised controlled trial (RCT).SettingA nested sample of fifty randomly selected government schools from the Hunter New England region of New South Wales, Australia, who had participated in an RCT of an intervention to improve the availability of healthy foods sold from school canteens, was approached to participate.SubjectsSchool principals, canteen managers and students.ResultsThe average proportion of green, amber and red items available on menus was 47·9, 47·4 and 4·7 %, respectively. The average proportion of green, amber and red items purchased by students was 30·1, 61·8 and 8·1 %, respectively. There was a significant positive relationship between the availability and purchasing of green (R2=0·66), amber (R2=0·57) and red menu items (R2=0·61). In each case, a 1 % increase in the availability of items in these categories was associated with a 1·21, 1·35 and 1·67 % increase in purchasing of items of high, moderate and low nutritional value, respectively.ConclusionsThe findings provide support for school-based policies to improve the relative availability of healthy foods for sale in these settings.

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. e027362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asta Medisauskaite ◽  
Caroline Kamau

ObjectivesThis study aims to assess the prevalence of health problems (eg, insomnia, binge-eating, substance use and ill health) among UK doctors and to investigate whether occupational distress increases the risk of health problems.DesignThis study reports the analysis of data collected at the baseline stage of a randomised controlled trial (protocol #NCT02838290).SettingDoctors were invited through medical Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association’s research panel and a random selection of NHS trusts across various UK regions.Participants417 UK doctors with an equivalent split of gender (48% males) and seniority (49% consultants).Main outcomes and measuresOutcomes were sleep problems (eg, insomnia), alcohol/drug use (eg, binge-drinking), ill health (eg, backache) and binge-eating (eg, uncontrollable eating). Predictor variables were occupational distress (psychiatric morbidity, burnout, job effort, work-life imbalance, coping with stress through self-blame or substances) and work factors (workplace and years practising medicine).Results44% of doctors binge-drank and 5% met the criteria for alcohol dependence; 24%–29% experienced negative emotions after overeating and 8% had a binge-eating disorder; 20%–61% had some type of sleep problem and 12% had severe/moderate insomnia; 69% had fatigue and 19%–29% experienced other types of ill health problems. The results show that occupational distress and job factors increase the odds of doctors using substances, having sleep problems, presenting with frequent symptoms of ill health and binge-eating. For example, burnout increased the risk of all types of sleep problems, eg, difficulty falling/staying asleep, insomnia (OR ≥1.344; p≤0.036). Even taking into consideration whether or not a doctor works in a hospital, the risk of health problems still rises when doctors have signs of occupational distress.ConclusionEarly recognition of occupational distress can prevent health problems among UK doctors that can reduce the quality of patient care because of sickness-related absence.


BMJ Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e010329 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T Gattrell ◽  
Sally Hopewell ◽  
Kate Young ◽  
Paul Farrow ◽  
Richard White ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivon EJ Milder ◽  
Jochen Mikolajczak ◽  
Saskia W van den Berg ◽  
Madelon van de Veen-van Hofwegen ◽  
Wanda JE Bemelmans

AbstractObjective(i) To identify determinants of participation in the ‘Healthy School Canteen Program’, a programme that encourages schools to set up their canteen in a way that promotes healthy dietary behaviour. (ii) To compare food supply and actions between participating and non-participating schools. (iii) To investigate what reasons schools have to increase attention for nutrition in the curriculum.DesignA cross-sectional study based on information from questionnaires performed in 2010/2011.SettingAll secondary schools (age group 12–18 years) in the Netherlands (n 1145).SubjectsResponse was 33 % (n 375). Analyses included all schools with a canteen in which food is offered (28 %, n 325).ResultsNone of the investigated determinants was associated with participation. Participating schools offered significantly (P < 0·001) more of eleven inventoried healthy foods (e.g. sandwiches, (butter)milk, fruit, light soft drinks, yoghurt and salad) than non-participating schools. However, there was no difference in the number of less healthy products offered (e.g. candy bars, cakes and regular soft drinks). Participating schools reported more often that they took actions to improve dietary behaviour and more often had a policy on nutrition. Participating schools more often increased attention for nutrition in the curriculum in recent years than non-participating schools (57 % v. 43 %, P = 0·01). Reported reasons were similar and included media attention, eating behaviour of students and ‘overweight’.ConclusionsSchools that participate in the programme seemed to offer more healthy products in their canteens and took more actions to improve dietary behaviour than non-participating schools. However, at all schools less healthy foods were also available.


2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 329-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Alldred ◽  
Duncan R. Petty ◽  
Peter Bowie ◽  
Arnold G. Zermansky ◽  
David K. Raynor

Aims and MethodTo determine the prescribing patterns for antipsychotics in care homes for the elderly, a cross-sectional study was carried out using data from the intervention group of a randomised controlled trial of medication review in care homes.ResultsOf 331 residents studied, 67 (20%) were prescribed an antipsychotic (70% atypical); 57 of these (85%) did not have a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder. The antipsychotic prescribing rate was 32% (46 out of 146) for those with dementia and 10% (17 out of 174) for those without dementia. A quarter (82 out of 331) had received a medication review by the general practitioner in the preceding 12 months.Clinical ImplicationsOne-fifth of residents were prescribed an antipsychotic with little evidence of review. Systems should ensure residents' treatment is reviewed regularly.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e049035
Author(s):  
Tamar Abzhandadze ◽  
Erik Lundström ◽  
Dongni Buvarp ◽  
Marie Eriksson ◽  
Terence J Quinn ◽  
...  

IntroductionShort forms of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) have allowed quick cognitive screening. However, none of the available short forms has been created or validated in a Swedish sample of patients with stroke.The aim is to develop a short-form Swedish version of the MoCA (s-MoCA-SWE) in a sample of patients with acute and subacute stroke. The specific objectives are: (1) to identify a subgroup of MoCA items that have the potential to form the s-MoCA-SWE; (2) to determine the optimal cut-off value of s-MoCA-SWE for predicting cognitive impairment and (3) and to compare the psychometric properties of s-MoCA-SWE with those of previously developed MoCA short forms.Methods and analysisThis is a statistical analysis protocol for a cross-sectional study. The study sample will comprise patients from Väststroke, a local stroke registry from Gothenburg, Sweden and Efficacy oF Fluoxetine—a randomisEd Controlled Trial in Stroke (EFFECTS), a randomised controlled trial in Sweden. The s-MoCA-SWE will be developed by using exploratory factor analysis and the boosted regression tree algorithm. The cut-off value of s-MoCA-SWE for impaired cognition will be determined based on binary logistic regression analysis. The psychometric properties of s-MoCA-SWE will be compared with those of other MoCA short forms by using cross-tabulation and area under the receiving operating characteristic curve analyses.Ethics and disseminationThe Väststroke study has received ethical approval from the Regional Ethical Review Board in Gothenburg (346–16) and the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (amendment 2019–04299). The handling of data generated within the framework of quality registers does not require written informed consent from patients. The EFFECTS study has received ethical approval from the Stockholm Ethics Committee (2013/1265-31/2 on 30 September 2013). All participants provided written consent. Results will be published in an international, peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences and communicated to clinical practitioners in local meetings and seminars.


2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Wang ◽  
Katie R Mollan ◽  
Michael G Hudgens ◽  
Joseph D Tucker ◽  
Heping Zheng ◽  
...  

BackgroundInvestigators increasingly use online methods to recruit participants for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, the extent to which participants recruited online represent populations of interest is unknown. We evaluated how generalisable an online RCT sample is to men who have sex with men in China.MethodsInverse probability of sampling weights (IPSW) and the G-formula were used to examine the generalisability of an online RCT using model-based approaches. Online RCT data and national cross-sectional study data from China were analysed to illustrate the process of quantitatively assessing generalisability. The RCT (identifier NCT02248558) randomly assigned participants to a crowdsourced or health marketing video for promotion of HIV testing. The primary outcome was self-reported HIV testing within 4 weeks, with a non-inferiority margin of −3%.ResultsIn the original online RCT analysis, the estimated difference in proportions of HIV tested between the two arms (crowdsourcing and health marketing) was 2.1% (95% CI, −5.4% to 9.7%). The hypothesis that the crowdsourced video was not inferior to the health marketing video to promote HIV testing was not demonstrated. The IPSW and G-formula estimated differences were −2.6% (95% CI, −14.2 to 8.9) and 2.7% (95% CI, −10.7 to 16.2), with both approaches also not establishing non-inferiority.ConclusionsConducting generalisability analysis of an online RCT is feasible. Examining the generalisability of online RCTs is an important step before an intervention is scaled up.Trial registration numberNCT02248558.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 616
Author(s):  
Avril Beirne ◽  
Kevin McCarroll ◽  
James Bernard Walsh ◽  
Miriam Casey ◽  
Eamon Laird ◽  
...  

The health effects of vitamin D are well documented, with increasing evidence of its roles beyond bone. There is, however, little evidence of the effects of vitamin D on hospitalisation among older adults. This study aimed to prospectively determine the relationship of vitamin D status in older adults with hospital admission and emergency department (ED) attendance. Trinity University of Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) is a large cross-sectional study of older adults with a community population from three disease-defined cohorts (cognitive dysfunction, hypertension, and osteoporosis). Participants included in this analysis were recruited between 2008 and 2012. ED and hospital admission data were gathered from the date of TUDA participation until June 2013, with a mean follow up of 3.6 years. Of the 3093 participants, 1577 (50.9%) attended the ED during the period of follow-up. Attendees had lower mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations than non-attendees (59.1 vs. 70.6 nmol/L). Fully adjusted models showed an inverse association between vitamin D and ED attendance (Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.996; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.995–0.998; p < 0.001). A total of 1269 participants (41%) were admitted to hospital during the follow-up. Those admitted had lower mean vitamin D concentrations (58.4 vs. 69.3 nmol/L, p < 0.001). In fully adjusted models, higher vitamin D was inversely associated with hospital admission (HR 0.996; 95% CI 0.994–0.998; p < 0.001) and length of stay (LOS) (β = −0.95, p = 0.006). This study showed independent prospective associations between vitamin D deficiency and increased hospitalisation by older adults. The need for further evaluation of current recommendations in relation to vitamin D supplementation, with consideration beyond bone health, is warranted and should focus on randomised controlled trials.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document