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Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in Victoria

Version 3 2024-06-19, 14:01
Version 2 2024-06-06, 07:34
Version 1 2023-02-09, 23:03
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-19, 14:01 authored by E Rosewarne, WK Chislett, B McKenzie, CN Mhurchu, Tara Boelsen-RobinsonTara Boelsen-Robinson, Miranda BlakeMiranda Blake, J Webster
Effective implementation of nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions can facilitate healthy food and beverage consumption by communities and populations, which can enable improvements in dietary intake and reduce disease burden. This study aimed to understand stakeholder perspectives on the implementation of government nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions in the Australian state of Victoria, as well as to determine enablers and barriers to successful implementation. Pre-interview questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were administered to stakeholders involved in the implementation of nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions in Victoria. The Interactive Systems Framework, which allows understanding of the infrastructure and systems needed to implement policies, was used to design the survey instruments and guide the data analysis. Forty-four stakeholders were interviewed, including program implementers, support personnel and food providers, across public sector hospitals and health services, workplaces, sport and recreation centres and schools. Though translated materials and resources have been developed for end-users to facilitate uptake and implementation, current nutrition standards were perceived to be long and complex, which hindered implementation. The existence of a government-funded implementation support service enabled action by providing technical support, troubleshooting and capacity-building. A specific pathway for successful guideline implementation was determined through the analysis. Opportunities to close the policy-implementation gap were identified. This will be crucial to maximising the impact of nutrition standards on population diets and reducing diet-related disease. Strengthening the guidelines and their governance, streamlining the support system and overcoming barriers within and outside of implementing organisations, are urgently required to propel statewide progress.

History

Journal

Nutrients

Volume

14

Article number

ARTN 2628

Location

Switzerland

ISSN

2072-6643

eISSN

2072-6643

Language

English

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Issue

13

Publisher

MDPI