To report trends in underweight, overweight and obesity in 12–15-year-old adolescents and examine changes in dieting behaviour, which have been less well documented.

Comparison of two independent representative cross-sectional surveys.

Northern Ireland.

Weight and height were objectively measured in 1324 boys and 1160 girls in 1996 and 1274 boys and 1374 girls in 2007. Participants reported whether they were following any particular diet including a self-proposed or prescribed weight-reduction diet.

Overweight and obesity increased in girls from 15 % to 23 % and 2 % to 6 %, respectively. Increases were more modest in boys with overweight increasing from 13 % to 18 % and obesity from 3 % to 6 %. The proportion of underweight adolescents decreased from 9 % to 6 % in girls and 8 % to 5 % in boys. Evidence of social disparity was observed in girls from a manual socio-economic background, with overweight/obesity prevalence rates increasing from 21 % to 36 % compared with 15 % to 26 % in girls from a non-manual background. Despite these trends fewer adolescents, in particular girls, reported following weight-reduction diets (14 % of overweight/obese girls in 2007 v. 21 % in 1996; 8 % of boys in 2007 v. 13 % in 1996). Of these girls, the proportion from a manual background following weight-reduction diets decreased from 25 % to 11 %.

Overweight and obesity are continuing to increase in adolescents despite government and media awareness strategies. There also appears to be reduced dieting behaviour, despite increasing body weight, particularly in girls from manual socio-economic backgrounds.

To determine associations between household food security status and risk of Cu toxicity.

A population-level cross-sectional study to determine adult household food security status and its relationship with serum total Cu concentration (serum Cu) using multivariable regression models.

Adult participants in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014.

The NHANES phlebotomy data, a nationally representative sample (n 2780; 1360 men and 1420 women), were analysed.

A significantly greater proportion of food-insecure persons had serum Cu that was above the upper value of the normal range (clinical cut-off) compared with their food-secure counterparts. In men, food insecurity (OR = 2·24, P < 0·001) and marginal food security (OR = 1·79, P < 0·001), and in women, marginal food security (OR = 1·82, P = 0·016), associated with greater likelihood to have serum Cu that was above the upper value of the normal range. Food insecurity was significantly associated with greater likelihood (OR = 1·65, P = 0·020) to have serum Cu that was within the upper quartile (≥75th centile).

Food-insecure persons associate with higher serum Cu concentration and are at greater risk of Cu toxicity. There is need to study the sources of Cu in general, and specifically in food-insecure persons, to facilitate reduction of Cu exposure. Examining Cu contents of the food and water supplies could explicate any relationships to food insecurity and Cu intake.

To investigate if food security mediated the impact of a nutrition-sensitive agroecology intervention on women’s depressive symptoms.

We used annual longitudinal data (four time points) from a cluster-randomised effectiveness trial of a participatory nutrition-sensitive agroecology intervention, the Singida Nutrition and Agroecology Project. Structural equation modelling estimation of total, natural direct and natural indirect effects was used to investigate food security’s role in the intervention’s impact on women’s risk of probable depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale > 17) across 3 years.

Rural Singida, Tanzania.

548 food insecure, married, smallholder women farmers with children < 1 year old at baseline.

At baseline, one-third of the women in each group had probable depression (Control: 32·0 %, Intervention: 31·9 %, P difference = 0·97). The intervention lowered the odds of probable depression by 43 % (OR = 0·57, 95 % CI: 0·43, 0·70). Differences in food insecurity explained approximately 10 percentage points of the effects of the intervention on odds of probable depression (OR = 0·90, 95 % CI: 0·83, 0·95).

This is the first evidence of the strong, positive effect that lowering food insecurity has on reducing women’s depressive symptoms. Nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions can have broader impacts than previously demonstrated, i.e. improvements in mental health; changes in food security play an important causal role in this pathway. As such, these data suggest participatory nutrition-sensitive agroecology interventions have the potential to be an accessible method of improving women’s well-being in farming communities.

n-3 PUFA during pregnancy have been subject to intense research interest, but also much controversy, creating a situation of confusion among patients and health-care providers. The present study was carried out to explore knowledge, attitude and practices regarding n-3 PUFA in two independent populations of pregnant women and gynaecologists–obstetricians in Belgium and to assess the relationship between the pregnant women’s attributes and their n-3 PUFA status measured by the omega-3 index.

Cross-sectional study. Knowledge, attitude and practices were collected by self-administered questionnaires while laboratory data were available for each pregnant woman.

During the first antenatal hospital appointment (for the pregnant women) and by email (for the gynaecologists–obstetricians).

Women in early pregnancy (n 122) and gynaecologists–obstetricians (n 67).

Marked discrepancies in perception were evidenced between the pregnant women and health-care providers. While 82 % of the women attached high importance to n-3 PUFA during pregnancy, only a third of the gynaecologists–obstetricians did. About 35 % of the women declared paying particular attention to their consumption of n-3 PUFA. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, these positive dietary practices were significantly associated with higher omega-3 index (P=0·04). Overall, 43·3 % of professionals did not provide any information about n-3 PUFA to their pregnant patients and 46·3 % did not take any preventive actions.

Evidence-based guidelines, refreshment training and communication tools are needed to improve awareness and clinical practices among caregivers regarding n-3 PUFA to benefit both mothers and their children.

To assess differences between traditional paper bag ordering and online ordering from primary school canteens in terms of menu, usage and lunch order characteristics.

A cross-sectional study.

New South Wales (NSW) primary schools that offered both paper bag and online canteen ordering.

Students (aged 5–12 years) with a lunch order on the day of the observation.

Across the six school canteens, 59–90 % of all available items were listed on both the online and paper menus, with no significant differences in the nutritional quality (‘Everyday’/‘Occasional’) or nutritional content (kJ/saturated fat/sugar/sodium) of menu items. In total, 387 student lunch orders were placed, containing 776 menu items. Most orders (68 %) were placed online. There were no significant differences between order modality in the quantity of items ordered or the cost of orders, or the nutritional quality of orders based on the classification system of the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy (‘Everyday’/’Occasional’). However, nutritional analysis revealed that paper bag orders contained 222 fewer kJ than online orders (P = 0·001), 0·65 g less saturated fat (P = 0·04) and 4·7 g less sugar (P < 0·001).

Online canteens are commonly used to order canteen lunches for primary school children. This is the first study to investigate differences between traditional paper bag ordering and online ordering in this setting. Given the rapid increase in the use of online ordering systems in schools and other food settings and their potential to deliver public health nutrition interventions, additional research is warranted to further investigate differences in ordering modalities.

To assess the alignment of YouTube® videos providing dietary recommendations for gout with evidence-based guidelines targeted at the United Kingdom (UK) population and to establish their quality.

A content analysis of YouTube® videos providing dietary recommendations for gout was undertaken. Videos were categorised by video source. Each video’s dietary recommendations for gout were compared with three evidence-based guidelines for gout, producing a compliance score. Presence of non-guideline advice was assessed. Understandability and actionability were evaluated using the Patient Education Material Assessment Tool for Audio-Visual Materials. Reliability was assessed using an adapted-DISCERN tool and educational quality using the Global Quality Score Five-Point Scale. Differences between video source and continuous variables were assessed using one-way Kruskal–Wallis H tests. For categorical variables, associations were investigated using Fisher–Freeman–Halton tests.

Online, May–June 2020.

One-hundred thirty-one videos.

Alignment of videos with evidence-based guidelines was poor (median compliance score 27 % (interquartile range 17–37 %)). Additionally, 57 % of videos contained non-guideline advice. The health professional source group had the fewest videos containing non-guideline advice, but this was only significantly lower than the naturopath group (31 % v. 81 %, P = 0·009). Almost 70 % of videos were considered poorly actionable and 50 % poorly understandable. Most videos were rated poor for reliability (79 %) and poor to generally poor for educational quality (49 %).

YouTube® videos providing dietary recommendations for gout frequently fail to conform to evidence-based guidelines, and their educational quality, reliability, understandability and actionability are often poor. More high-quality, comprehensive, evidence-based YouTube® videos are required for UK gout patients.

Sufficient dairy food consumption during adolescence is necessary for preventing disease. While socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents tend to consume few dairy foods, some eat quantities more in line with dietary recommendations despite socio-economic challenges. Socio-economic variations in factors supportive of adolescents’ frequent dairy consumption remain unexplored. The present study aimed to identify cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between intrapersonal, social and environmental factors and adolescents’ frequent dairy consumption at baseline and two years later across socio-economic strata, and to examine whether socio-economic position moderated observed effects.

Online surveys completed at baseline (2004–2005) and follow-up (2006–2007) included a thirty-eight-item FFQ and questions based on social ecological models examining intrapersonal, social and environmental dietary influences.

Thirty-seven secondary schools in Victoria, Australia.

Australian adolescents (n 1201) aged 12–15 years, drawn from a sub-sample of 3264 adolescents (response rate=33 %).

While frequent breakfast consumption was cross-sectionally associated with frequent dairy consumption among all adolescents, additional associated factors differed by socio-economic position. Baseline dairy consumption longitudinally predicted consumption at follow-up. No further factors predicted frequent consumption among disadvantaged adolescents, while four additional factors were predictive among advantaged adolescents. Socio-economic position moderated two predictors; infrequently eating dinner alone and never purchasing from school vending machines predicted frequent consumption among advantaged adolescents.

Nutrition promotion initiatives aimed at improving adolescents’ dairy consumption should employ multifactorial approaches informed by social ecological models and address socio-economic differences in influences on eating behaviours; e.g. selected intrapersonal factors among all adolescents and social factors (e.g. mealtime rules) among advantaged adolescents.

In response to concern over rising sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, in April 2018, South Africa became the first Sub-Saharan African (SSA) country to implement an SSB tax. We assess changes in pricing and acquisition of beverages from local supermarkets and small stores among 18–39-year-old adults living in one township in the Western Cape, before and after tax implementation. This study is among the first evaluations of an SSB tax on the local food environment in a low-income township.

Store beverage pricing and participant surveys were cross-sectional, analysed 1 month before and 11 months after implementation of the tax (March 2018 and March 2019).

Langa, Western Cape, South Africa

Surveyed participants were residents of Langa between 18 and 39 years old (n 2693 in 2018 and n 2520 in 2019)

Prices of taxed SSB increased significantly among small shops and supermarkets between 2018 and 2019. There were non-significant decreases in prices of untaxed beverages in small shops, but prices of untaxed beverages increased in supermarkets. Across all store types, there was a 9 percentage point decrease in the probability of purchasing regular soda weekly pre/post-implementation. Reductions in purchasing were larger in small shops than supermarkets.

We found some differential impacts of the levy on pricing and acquisition of beverages by retailer type in one low-income township. As other SSA countries consider similar fiscal policies to curb soda consumption, obesity and related diseases, this work can be used to understand the implications of these policies in the retail setting.

To establish the relationship between the marketing strategies and nutritional quality of foods and beverages promoted in television food advertisements (TV ads) seen by Colombian child audiences overall and based on child gender and socio-economic strata (SES).

A quantitative content analysis of marketing appeals was combined with nutritional data of the food products advertised and matched with TV audience ratings data for each food and beverage ads for Colombian children between 4 and 11 years.

All beverages and foods TV ads cable or over-the-air channels in Colombia in 2017.

N/A.

Compared with rational appeals (e.g. freshness, health or nutrition messages), emotional appeals (referencing or depicting human senses or emotions, e.g. using cartoons to suggest fun) were more frequently used in the TV ads most viewed by Colombian children. Female children and children in lower SES tended to be more exposed to emotional appeals in TV ads than their male or higher SES counterparts. Furthermore, TV ads using more emotional appeals tended to be for products high in problematic nutrients.

The findings of this study highlight the need to implement statutory measures to reduce the deleterious effect of food marketing on children.

To examine associations between work and commute hours with food consumption and test whether neighbourhood type (20-minute neighbourhood (20MN)/non-20MN) moderate associations.

Cross-sectional analysis of the Places and Locations for Activity and Nutrition study (ProjectPLAN). Exposures were work hours (not working (0 h), working up to full-time (1–38 h/week), working overtime (> 38 h/week)), and among those employed, combined weekly work and commute hours (continuous). Outcomes were usual consumption of fruit, vegetables, takeaway food, snacks and soft drinks, and number of discretionary food types (takeaway, snacks and soft drinks) consumed weekly. Generalised linear models were fitted to examine associations between each exposure and outcome. The moderating role of neighbourhood type was examined through interaction terms between each exposure and neighbourhood type (20MN/non-20MN).

Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia, 2018–2019.

Adults ≥ 18 years old (n 769).

Although all confidence intervals contained the null, overall, patterns suggested non-workers and overtime workers have less healthy food behaviours than up-to-full-time workers. Among those employed, analysis of continuous work and commute hours data suggested longer work and commute hours were positively associated with takeaway consumption (OR = 1·014, 95 % CI 0·999, 1·030, P-value = 0·066). Patterns of better behaviours were observed across most outcomes for those in 20MN than non-20MN. However, differences in associations between work and commute hours with food consumption across neighbourhood type were negligible.

Longer work and commute hours may induce poorer food behaviours. There was weak evidence to suggest 20MN moderate associations between work and commute hours with food consumption, although behaviours appeared healthier for those in 20MN.