Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Ana Clara Duran, Melissa Mialon, Eric Crosbie, Melissa Lorena Jensen, Jennifer L. Harris, Carolina Batis, Camila Corvalan, Lindsey Smith Taillie
Summary: The food environment plays a significant role in the rising rates of childhood obesity, particularly in Latin American countries and among Latino populations in the United States. There is a need for integrated evidence to inform policies that can improve food environments for children and effectively address the growing issue of childhood obesity.
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Shayna M. Krasnoff, Todd M. Schmit, Cheryl B. Bilinski
Summary: Farm-to-school projects receive support and funding from policy makers, but the outcomes are unclear due to insufficient data. New York State's 30% NY Initiative increases school lunch reimbursements and the policy is found to have positive economic impacts, assuming an expansion of related industries to meet the increased demand for local food.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Gabriel Medina, Catherine Isley, J. Arbuckle
Summary: Farmers and agribusiness groups believe that current conservation programs have effectively reduced soil erosion, suggesting incremental changes. However, environmental NGOs and research groups propose transformative ideas to address water quality and nutrient management issues. Stakeholders universally anticipate incremental changes rather than transformative changes to Farm Bill conservation programs and policies.
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mirena Boklis-Berer, Fernanda Rauber, Catarina Machado Azeredo, Renata Bertazzi Levy, Maria Laura da Costa Louzada
Summary: The study aimed to verify the association between adherence to meals from the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE) and obesity indicators among adolescents. The results showed an inverse and dose-response association between adherence to the PNAE meals and obesity indicators, with adolescents having high adherence having lower BMI Z-scores, lower prevalence of overweight, and lower prevalence of obesity compared to those with lower adherence. The study concluded that adherence to PNAE meals may contribute to obesity prevention in Brazil.
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Elisa Pineda, Josefina Bascunan, Franco Sassi
Summary: The food environment plays a significant role in children's dietary choices and obesity prevention. Interventions in and around schools have shown to have positive effects on BMI and fruit consumption, but policy actions are needed to sustain healthy dietary intake and BMI improvements in school environments.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Erica Reeve, Anne-Marie Thow, Colin Bell, Christina Soti-Ulberg, Gary Sacks
Summary: Samoa has shown a positive attitude towards implementing international 'best practice' recommendations for healthy school food policies, but challenges remain, such as insufficient attention from stakeholders to school food and the prevalence of unhealthy food around schools. The study suggests that community-level leaders may play a crucial role in the successful implementation of policies.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Kremlin Wickramasinghe, Saion Chatterjee, Julianne Williams, Martin W. Weber, Ana Isabel Rito, Holly Rippin, Joao Breda
Summary: This paper explores policies and measures in the WHO European Region to address childhood overweight and obesity, outlining six priority areas of action and examples from different countries. Disparities in policy types and breadth among Member States are highlighted, emphasizing the need for additional data collection and monitoring to inform policy development.
Article
Education & Educational Research
Abigail B. Long, Becca B. R. Jablonski, Marco Costanigro, W. M. Frasier
Summary: This study constructed a unique dataset of fresh fruit and vegetable purchases from school invoices in three Northern Colorado school districts and simulated how procurement is impacted by local food reimbursements. The results showed that at $0.05 per meal reimbursement, FSDs would increase fresh fruit and vegetable purchasing by 11-12% in August-October, but by only 0-1% in November-December, likely due to seasonality constraints.
JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Erica D'Souza, Stefanie Vandevijvere, Boyd Swinburn
Summary: This study evaluates the healthiness of New Zealand school food environments and finds that school nutrition policies are weak, and canteen and fundraising items are largely unhealthy, which undermine other positive efforts. The study provides evidence of unhealthy school food environments and supports the need for stronger national-level policy.
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Qian Zhou, Li Zhao, Longhao Zhang, Qian Xiao, Tong Wu, Tommy Visscher, Jinfeng Zhao, Junguo Xin, Xueshuang Yu, Hong Xue, Hong Li, Jay Pan, Peng Jia
Summary: Childhood obesity is a pressing public health issue, with environmental factors potentially influencing lifestyle behaviors. Studies on the association between access to supermarkets and childhood obesity have shown mixed results, with better designed studies needed for a robust understanding in the future.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Gisele Ane Bortolini, Tatiane Nunes Pereira, Ariene Silva do Carmo, Ana Maria Thomaz Maya Martins, Jessica Pedroso da Silva, Sara Araujo da Silva, Paloma Abelin Saldanha Marinho, Ana Maria Cavalcante de Lima, Ana Maria Spaniol, Gaia Salvador Claumann, Jonas Augusto Cardoso da Silveira, Juliana Rezende Melo da Silva
Summary: The Brazilian Strategy for the Prevention and Care of Childhood Obesity (PROTEJA) is an implementation plan for a series of actions aimed at preventing obesity. The strategy was formulated by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and has the support of 1,320 municipalities. It relies on collaboration between the Ministry of Health, subnational governments, and universities, as well as the support of local teams for implementation and evaluation. The implementation of this strategy still faces challenges.
CADERNOS DE SAUDE PUBLICA
(2023)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Lu Ma, Xiaozhong Wen, Hong Xue, Li Zhao, Yixin Ding, Fei Xu, Guorui Ruan, Yixuan Li, Suying Chang, Youfa Wang
Summary: This review examines the main government and nongovernmental institutions for childhood obesity prevention and control in China, as well as major national interventions for childhood obesity. Multiple government-led interventions have been implemented, including campaigns, nutrition improvement programs, and physical activity initiatives.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Peng Jia, Miyang Luo, Yamei Li, Ju-Sheng Zheng, Qian Xiao, Jiayou Luo
Summary: While higher access to fast-food restaurants (FFRs) was commonly associated with increased fast-food consumption, most studies did not find a significant association between FFR access and weight-related behaviors (such as dietary quality score and frequency of food consumption) in children. However, a systematic review and meta-analysis showed mixed results in terms of the relationship between FFR access and weight-related behaviors/outcomes among children and adolescents.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Alexandra Chung, Christina Zorbas, Devorah Riesenberg, Ainslie Sartori, Kelly Kennington, Jaithri Ananthapavan, Kathryn Backholer
Summary: Unhealthy food marketing can influence people's preferences and consumption, and should be restricted by government policies; Existing studies mainly focus on advertising prevalence, but lack evaluation of the impact of implemented policies; Policy implementation requires collaboration, leadership, and overcoming industry lobbying, among other factors.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Maria F. Kroker-Lobos, Monica Mazariegos, Monica Guamuch, Manuel Ramirez-Zea
Summary: Adding micronutrients to ultraprocessed products can affect consumer perception of the nutritional quality and healthfulness, and potentially increase their consumption. Countries need to implement national legislations through a food systems approach to regulate the marketing and labeling of ultraprocessed products. Further research is also needed to guide the development of food fortification strategies.