{"title":"Coexisting forms of malnutrition among under-5 children in Bangladesh: results from 2012-13 and 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.","authors":"Md Ridwan Islam, Md Fuad Al Fidah, Md Mushfiqur Rahman, Tahmeed Ahmed, Sharika Nuzhat","doi":"10.1017/S1368980025000448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000448","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Underweight, wasting, and stunting are crucial malnutrition indicators responsible for morbidities among children. Data regarding coexisting forms of malnutrition (CFM) is scarce. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of CFM across two survey years among under-5 Bangladeshi children.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Cross-sectional study.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Data were acquired from two rounds of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Bangladesh conducted in 2012-13 and 2019.</p><p><strong>Subjects: </strong>The analysis included 43,946 (2012-13: 20,885; 2019: 23,061) under-5 children.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Binomial proportion test, slope index of inequality, and multinomial logistic regression models were used for analysis. The prevalence of CFM was 27.45% and 18.56% in 2012-13 and 2019, respectively. A significant decrease in the prevalence of CFM was seen across the surveys (p-value<0.001). Children from urban residence [(<i>2012-13</i>:aOR=0.70, 95% CI:0.64,0.77); (<i>2019</i>:aOR=0.71, 95% CI:0.65,0.78], higher maternal education [(<i>2012-13</i>:aOR=0.28, 95% CI:0.24,0.32); (<i>2019</i>:aOR=0.28, 95% CI:0.24,0.32], larger size at birth [(<i>2012-13</i>:aOR=0.62, 95% CI:0.52,0.73); (<i>2019</i>:aOR: 0.60, 95% CI:0.50,0.73], richest wealth quintile [(<i>2012-13</i>:aOR=0.25, 95% CI:0.22,0.28); (<i>2019</i>:aOR: 0.30, 95% CI:0.27,0.34)] had lower odds of suffering from CFM compared to their counterparts. Children from poorer quintiles were more influenced by CFM than richer quintiles (Coef.:-0.175, 95% CI:-0.192,-0.157, p-value<0.001). Higher percentage of CFM was observed among rich families in 2019 compared to 2012-13 (24.50% and 20.15%, respectively; p-value<0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings of this study should help the researchers and policymakers to understand CFM more clearly and plan prospective studies to explore CFM outcomes. Targeted interventional approaches are needed among parents of rural communities to control the burden of CFM.</p>","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-32"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143796084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Milkah N Wanjohi, Elizabeth Wambui Kimani-Murage, Michelle Holdsworth, Rebecca Pradeilles, Calistus Wilunda, Gershim Asiki, Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch
{"title":"Drivers and solutions to unhealthy food consumption by adolescents in urban slums in Kenya: A qualitative participatory study.","authors":"Milkah N Wanjohi, Elizabeth Wambui Kimani-Murage, Michelle Holdsworth, Rebecca Pradeilles, Calistus Wilunda, Gershim Asiki, Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch","doi":"10.1017/S1368980025000400","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000400","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To explore the perceptions, drivers, and potential solutions to consumption of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods (UPF) and foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), and their contribution to the double burden of malnutrition in adolescents living in urban slums, Kenya.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Qualitative participatory research, through Photovoice, group discussions and community dialogues. Inductive, thematic analysis was undertaken.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Three major slums, Nairobi.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Adolescents 10-19 years (n=102: 51 boys, 51 girls) and adults (n=62).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>UPF/HFSS consumption emerged as a predominant theme on the causes of undernutrition and overweight/obesity and foods commonly consumed by adolescents. Adolescents described UPF/HFSS as junk, oily, sugary or foods with chemicals, and associated UPF/HFSS consumption with undernutrition, obesity, non-communicable diseases. They perceived UPF/HFSS as modern, urban, classy, appealing to young people, and minimally processed foods as boring, primitive, for older people, and those in rural areas. Individual-level drivers of UPF/HFSS consumption were organoleptic attributes (taste/aroma), body size/shape, illicit drug use, convenience, adolescents' autonomy. Social environment drivers were peer-pressure and social status/aspirations. Physical environment drivers were UPF/HFSS availability and accessibility in the slums. Education on healthy eating and adverse effects of consuming UPF/HFSS, through existing structures (youth groups, school, community health strategy) was proposed as potential solution to UPF/HFSS consumption.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>UPF/HFSS were perceived as associated with poor nutrition and health, yet were preferred over unprocessed/minimally processed foods. Interventions to promote healthy diets beyond raising awareness are important, while address the underlying perceptions and drivers of UPF/HFSS consumption at individual-level, and social and physical food environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-37"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143773149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Food insecurity and food bank use: who is most at risk of severe food insecurity and who uses food banks? - CORRIGENDUM.","authors":"Elisabeth A Garratt, Beth Armstrong","doi":"10.1017/S136898002500028X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898002500028X","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":"28 1","pages":"e56"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Associations of Dietary Inflammatory Index Scores with the Disability Status and Subjective Health of Older Adults Living in Non-Urban Municipalities in Nagasaki and Ishikawa Prefectures, Japan.","authors":"Momoka Masuda, Chiho Goto, Hideki Imai, Shihomi Sakurai, Mikie Hidaka, Haruna Ushimura, Rieko Nakao, Mayumi Ohnishi, Masahiro Umezaki","doi":"10.1017/S1368980025000424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000424","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To examine associations of Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) scores with disability and subjective health, which is prognostic of disability, in a large, systematically sampled population of older adults living in non-urban areas in Japan.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Cross-sectional. The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG-IC) was used to assess disability. Both overall disability and disabilities in components of everyday competence (instrumental activities of daily living [IADLs], intellectual activities, and social participation) were examined. Participants who reported an inability to perform one or more activities were categorized as disabled. Subjective health was assessed based on the response to the following question: \"In general, how do you feel about your own health?\"</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Six non-urban municipalities in Japan that differ in terms of regional characteristics.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Adults aged 65-74 years (n = 7930).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>DII scores were positively associated with the odds of overall disability (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval {CI}]) = 1.23 [1.19, 1.28]); disabilities in IADLs (OR [95% CI] = 1.10 [1.05, 1.15]); intellectual activities (OR [95% CI] = 1.28 [1.23, 1.33]); social participation [OR (95% CI] = 1.17 [1.13, 1.22)]; and poor subjective health (OR [95%CI] = 1.09 [1.05, 1.14]).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results imply the importance of reducing dietary inflammation to prevent both disability and a decline in subjective health, a predictor of disability.</p>","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143753853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Role of Dietary Tracking on Changes in Dietary Behavior in a Community-Based Diabetes Prevention and Management Intervention.","authors":"Ranjita Misra, Delores James","doi":"10.1017/S1368980025000436","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000436","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The study examined the impact of the Diabetes Prevention and Management program on dietary tracking, changes in dietary behavior, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and weight loss over six months among rural adults with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. The program was a health coach (HC)-led, community-based lifestyle intervention.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>The study used an explanatory sequential quantitative and qualitative design to gain insight on participant's dietary behavior and macronutrient consumption as well as experience with food tracking. Five of the 22 educational sessions focused on dietary education. Participants were taught strategies for healthy eating and dietary modification. Trained HCs delivered the sessions and provided weekly feedback to food journals.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Obese adults with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes (n=94) participated in the program and fifty-six (66%) completed dietary tracking (optional) for six months. Twenty-two participated in three focus groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifty-nine percent consistently completed food journals. At 6 months, average diet self-efficacy and dietary intake improved, and average weight loss was 4.58 ± 9.14lbs. Factors associated with weight loss included attendance, consistent dietary tracking, higher HbA1c, diabetes status, and calorie intake (Adjusted R<sup>2</sup> = 43.5%; F=.003). Focus group participants reported the program improved eating habits. Consistency of dietary tracking was cumbersome yet was beneficial for making better choices and key to being honest.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Participants who consistently tracked their diet improved dietary self-efficacy and intake over six months. This model has the potential to be reproduced in other rural regions of the United States.</p>","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-29"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143721252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Evelyn Oliveira da Silva Frade, Kamila Tiemann Gabe, Caroline Dos Santos Costa, Daniela Neri, Euridice Martinez Steele, Fernanda Rauber, Josiane Steluti, Renata Bertazzi Levy, Maria Laura da Costa Louzada
{"title":"A novel food frequency questionnaire for Brazilian adults based on the Nova classification system: development, reproducibility and validation.","authors":"Evelyn Oliveira da Silva Frade, Kamila Tiemann Gabe, Caroline Dos Santos Costa, Daniela Neri, Euridice Martinez Steele, Fernanda Rauber, Josiane Steluti, Renata Bertazzi Levy, Maria Laura da Costa Louzada","doi":"10.1017/S1368980025000412","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000412","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To describe the development and validation of the Nova Food-Frequency Questionnaire (NovaFFQ) for Brazilian adults.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>The NovaFFQ is a self-administered, semi-quantitative questionnaire. The food list includes the most consumed foods and drinks based on 2017-2018 National Food Intake Survey data. We identified and differentiated foods that could be classified into multiple Nova groups. We assessed reproducibility and criterion validity using the percent energy contribution of each Nova group. Reproducibility was assessed by comparing NovaFFQ estimates on two occasions. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing the first NovaFFQ estimate against the mean of two Nova24h recalls. We estimated the intraclass correlation coefficients for both analyses and assessed the agreement of classification into quintiles using the prevalence-and-bias-adjusted kappa coefficients for criterion validity analysis.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Nationwide Brazilian study, the NutriNet-Brasil cohort.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>There were 243 participants in the reproducibility analysis and 377 in the criterion validity analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Strong reproducibility was observed, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.91 for all the Nova groups. Criterion validity showed a moderate intraclass correlation coefficient, ranging from 0.61 for processed and ultra-processed foods to 0.65 for unprocessed and minimally processed foods. Substantial agreement in ranking individuals across quintiles was found, as indicated by the prevalence-and-bias-adjusted kappa (<i>PABAKs</i>= 0.74, 0.72, 0.70 and 0.73 for unprocessed and minimally processed foods, culinary ingredients, and processed and ultra-processed foods, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The NovaFFQ is a valid instrument for assessing food consumption by processing level, especially for discriminating individuals according to the magnitude of consumption in all Nova groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-28"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143721251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disproportionately higher asthma risk and incidence with high fructose corn syrup, but not sucrose intake, among Black young adults - the CARDIA Study.","authors":"Luanne Robalo DeChristopher, Katherine L Tucker","doi":"10.1017/S1368980025000370","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000370","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>There have been <i>unsafe levels of unpaired fructose</i> in the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in U.S. beverages, and research/case study evidence shows their intake is associated with greater asthma prevalence/risk/incidence, a debilitating disease, likely due to fructose-malabsorption, gut fructosylation, and gut dysbiosis mechanisms. The \"unexplained\" asthma epidemic has disproportionately affected children and Black individuals, groups with higher fructose-malabsorption prevalence than others, and research to assess disproportionately higher asthma risk/incidence among Black individuals in association with HFCS sweetened beverage intake is lacking.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Demographic, lifestyle, dietary data collected at enrollment/(1985-86), and incident asthma through exam 5/(1995-96), were used in Cox proportional hazards models to assess HFCS intake associations (hazard-ratios) with asthma risk/incidence.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>CARDIA-Study participants from Birmingham, AL, Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, and Oakland, CA.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>1998 Black and 2104 White young adults.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>HFCS sweetened beverage intake >once/wk <i>was</i> significantly associated with higher asthma risk relative to ≤ once/wk, (<i>P</i>-trend=0.04), among Black participants only; risk was 2.8 times higher among 2-4 times/wk consumers (HR=2.8, 95% CI 1.1-7.3, <i>P</i>=0.04), and 3.5 times higher when consumed multiple times/d, independent of <i>sucrose</i> intake/obesity/dietary quality/smoking/in-home smoke-exposure (HR=3.5, 95% CI 1.3-9.9, <i>P</i>=0.02). Intake of <i>orange juice</i>, with nominal unpaired fructose, was <i>not</i> associated with asthma in either group, <i>nor was intake of sucrose</i>, a disaccharide (paired) of fructose/glucose.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Ubiquitous HFCS in the U.S. food supply, with HFCS that contains high/unsafe unpaired fructose, a.k.a. excess-free-fructose, and the fructose/gut/lung/axis are overlooked risk factors in the \"unexplained\" U.S. asthma epidemic that disproportionately affects Black individuals.</p>","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-30"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143711021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria Bryant, Rob Oxley, Myles Bremner, Cressida Pidgeon, Shona Goudie, Bob Doherty
{"title":"Auto-enrolment of free school meals - A 'No Brainer'?","authors":"Maria Bryant, Rob Oxley, Myles Bremner, Cressida Pidgeon, Shona Goudie, Bob Doherty","doi":"10.1017/S1368980025000382","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1368980025000382","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7617560/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143711015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jesús E Morales-Ríos, Mishel Unar-Munguía, Carolina Batis, Josué A Quiroz-Reyes, Néstor A Sánchez-Ortiz, M Arantxa Colchero
{"title":"Simulating price subsidies on healthy foods in Mexico.","authors":"Jesús E Morales-Ríos, Mishel Unar-Munguía, Carolina Batis, Josué A Quiroz-Reyes, Néstor A Sánchez-Ortiz, M Arantxa Colchero","doi":"10.1017/S1368980024002702","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980024002702","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To simulate the impact of a price subsidy (price reduction) on purchases of healthy foods with suboptimal consumption.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>We used data from the 2018 Mexican National Household Income and Expenditure Survey, a cross sectional study. We estimated own and cross price elasticities of the demand for food groups using a Linear Approximation of an Almost Ideal Demand System. Using the estimated elasticities, we derived changes in purchases associated with a 10, 20 and 30% price reduction in healthy food groups with suboptimal consumption. We also estimated prices reductions for these food group that would meet the recommendations of the Healthy Reference Diet (EAT-HRD) proposed by the EAT-Lancet commission.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Mexico (country).</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>A nationally representative sample of urban and rural households.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Price reductions were associated with increases in quantity purchased between 9.4 to 28.3% for vegetables, 7.9 to 23.8% for fruits, 0.8 to 2.5% for legumes and 6.0 to 18.0% for fish. Higher reductions in prices would be needed to achieve the EAT-Lancet Commission's recommendations for food groups with suboptimal consumption in Mexico: a 39.7% reduction in prices for fruits, 20.0% for vegetables and 118.7% for legumes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our study shows that reductions in prices can lead to increases in purchases of healthier food options. More research is needed to assess the most cost-effective strategy to deliver subsidies using either conditional cash transfers, vouchers or food baskets provided to families or direct subsidies to producers.</p>","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-23"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143692908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andrew J Woods, Yasmine C Probst, Jennifer Norman, Karen Wardle, Sarah T Ryan, Ruth K Crowe, Linda Patel, Megan Hammersley, Kurt Morton, Rebecca M Stanley, Lauren Taylor, Anthony D Okely
{"title":"Food provision and healthy eating environments in before school care: an observational study.","authors":"Andrew J Woods, Yasmine C Probst, Jennifer Norman, Karen Wardle, Sarah T Ryan, Ruth K Crowe, Linda Patel, Megan Hammersley, Kurt Morton, Rebecca M Stanley, Lauren Taylor, Anthony D Okely","doi":"10.1017/S1368980025000333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980025000333","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Australian children fall short of national dietary guidelines with only 63% consuming adequate fruit and 10% enough vegetables. Before school care operates as part of Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) services and provides opportunities to address poor dietary habits in children. The aim of this study was to describe the food and beverages provided in before school care and to explore how service-level factors influence food provision.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted in OSHC services. Services had their before school care visited twice between March and June 2021. Direct observation was used to capture food and beverage provision, and child and staff behaviour during breakfast. Interviews with staff collected information on service characteristics. Foods were categorised using the Australian Dietary Guidelines, and frequencies calculated. Fishers Exact Test was used to compare food provision with service characteristics.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>The before school care of OSHC services in New South Wales, Australia.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>25 OSHC services.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fruit was provided on 22% (n=11) of days and vegetables on 12% (n=6). Services with nutrition policies containing specific language on food provision (i.e. measurable) were more likely to provide fruit compared to those with policies using non-specific language (p = 0.027). Services that reported receiving training in healthy eating provided more vegetables than those who had not received training (p = 0.037).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Before school care can be supported to improve food provision through staff professional development and advocating regulatory bodies for increased specificity requirements in the nutrition policies of service providers.</p>","PeriodicalId":20951,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-24"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143670916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}