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The impact of primary school nutrition policy on the school food environment: a systematic review
journal contribution
posted on 2023-02-10, 01:48 authored by Lily Maria Grigsby-DuffyLily Maria Grigsby-Duffy, Ruby BrooksRuby Brooks, Tara Boelsen-RobinsonTara Boelsen-Robinson, Miranda BlakeMiranda Blake, Kathryn BackholerKathryn Backholer, C Palermo, Anna PeetersAnna PeetersAbstract
School nutrition policies that aim to address unhealthy diets have been introduced in many countries. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the international literature to determine the impact (overall and by socioeconomic position [SEP]) of primary school nutrition policies on the availability of foods and beverages in schools. Seven databases were searched using keywords and medical subject headings related to nutrition policies and schools. Studies that reported on the impact of implemented school nutrition policies on food and beverage availability within primary schools were included. Eighteen studies (reported across 20 papers) were included. Fifteen of the included studies reported some positive impacts of policies, including increased availability of healthier foods and decreased availability of less healthy foods. Five studies focused specifically on schools in low-income communities and a further three specifically compared schools by SEP, with mixed findings. Two studies reported on factors influencing policy implementation, reporting a lack of financial resources as a barrier to schools offering a wider selection of healthy foods and additional school resources as increasing the likelihood of offering healthy foods. School nutrition policies appear to be effective at improving the healthiness of foods and beverages available at schools. Furthermore, the results suggest that well-implemented school nutrition policies that improve the healthiness of foods available are unlikely to exacerbate the socioeconomic gradient of poor nutrition. However, the number of studies that reported results by SEP limits drawing strong conclusions regarding equity impacts and we strongly recommend further studies analyze their findings according to SEP.
History
Journal
Health promotion internationalVolume
37Article number
ARTN daac084Location
EnglandPublisher DOI
ISSN
0957-4824eISSN
1460-2245Language
EnglishPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalIssue
5Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESSUsage metrics
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Categories
Keywords
Science & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineHealth Policy & ServicesPublic, Environmental & Occupational HealthHealth Care Sciences & Servicesnutrition policyfood environmenthealth equityschoolschildrenMIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIESCOMPETITIVE FOODSOCIOECONOMIC POSITIONRISK-FACTORSOBESITYIMPLEMENTATIONAVAILABILITYASSOCIATIONCONSUMPTIONSTATEBeveragesFoodFood ServicesHumansNutrition PolicySchoolsNutritionPrevention3.1 Primary prevention interventions to modify behaviours or promote wellbeing3 Prevention of disease and conditions, and promotion of well-beingStrokeCardiovascular4 Quality Education