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Recine E, de Castro Junior PCP, Sugai A, Gentil PC, Feldenheimer da Silva AC. The INFORMAS healthy food environment policy index in Brazil: Benchmarking, current policies, and determining priorities for the future. Obes Rev 2024; 25:e13681. [PMID: 38123471 DOI: 10.1111/obr.13681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Obesity and non-communicable diseases are the most important cause of death and inability in Brazil and worldwide. Public policies are an important strategy to prevent obesity. This study analysed the scope of Brazilian public policies for preventing and controlling obesity using the INFORMAS/Food-EPI protocol. METHODS The public policies evaluation was conducted based on the INFORMAS/Food-EPI protocol. Experts from academia, civil society, and government assessed the level of implementation of food policies compared with international best practices and proposed new actions to be developed nationally. The protocol consisted of five phases: (1) A comprehensive review of the implementation of food environment-related public policies; (2) validation with experts; (3) comparison of the national actions with the international best practice and due to the level of implementation; (4) list a set of actions to improve the current policies; and (5) evaluation of the actions due to their importance and achievability. RESULTS Brazilian actions were focused on monitoring, leadership, governance, and resources and financing domains. CONCLUSION The results will provide elements to support and improve the national policies that aim at the promotion of a healthy food environment and obesity prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Recine
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | | | - Andrea Sugai
- Faculty of Nutrition, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
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Gilcharan Singh HK, Sinnasamy P, Wan Yi T, Chiao Wei C, Chee Siew Swee W, Shyam S. Understanding the Food Environment and Its Impact on Diet and Health in Asia: A Scoping Review. Asia Pac J Public Health 2024; 36:172-183. [PMID: 38483070 DOI: 10.1177/10105395241237635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Food environment (FE), an interface where people interact with a broader food system, is critical to health. Understanding the Asian FE may help to tackle the "triple burden of malnutrition" through informed research and policy. This review identifies FE domains assessed in the Asian context and collates the tools/measures used in these evaluations. We further synthesized the reported associations of FE with diet and health outcomes and identified knowledge gaps. Forty-two articles were reviewed (East Asia, n = 25, 60%; South Asia, n = 8, 19%; and Southeast Asia, n = 9, 21%). The results showed that FE was frequently examined in children, adolescents, or adults, but data were scarce in older adults. Food availability (n = 30) and accessibility (n = 19) were popularly studied domains. Furthermore, FE was measured using geographic information systems (n = 18), market (n = 7), or stakeholder (n = 21) surveys. Twenty-eight (67%) articles assessed associations of FE exposures with diet (n = 12) and health (n = 21). Increased food availability and accessibility were associated with poorer dietary and health outcomes despite nonexisting validity and reliability reporting in 62% of articles. Limited high-quality studies emphasize the need for harmonized definitions, better study designs, and validated FE measures/tools in Asia. Improving the quality of FE research is critical to designing effective interventions to improve public health nutrition in Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harvinder Kaur Gilcharan Singh
- Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Center for Community Health Studies (ReaCH), Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Pavitra Sinnasamy
- Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Teoh Wan Yi
- Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Chang Chiao Wei
- Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Winnie Chee Siew Swee
- Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sangeetha Shyam
- Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Rovira i Virgili University, Reus, Spain
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Ho I, Chng T, Kleve S, Choi T, Brimblecombe J. Exploration of the food environment in different socioeconomic areas in Hong Kong and Singapore: a cross-sectional case study. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1127. [PMID: 37308892 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15953-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
This study explored the local food environment of Hong Kong and Singapore using a qualitative case study approach to inform future upstream public health nutrition policies. Food outlets that provide food to be eaten in the home were mapped in selected areas of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) of Hong Kong and Singapore. Food outlet density relative to land area was determined. In both countries, lower SES areas surveyed were shown to have higher food outlet density while higher SES areas had fewer but larger food outlets. In Hong Kong, both SES areas reported similar proportions of healthy and unhealthy food outlets.This study highlights the accessibility of food outlet types through their geographical location and density. Future research assessing the differences in eating culture between these two countries should be considered alongside this study's findings, to investigate strategies influencing the food environment in order to promote healthier eating habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Ho
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, 3168, Australia
| | - Tricia Chng
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, 3168, Australia
| | - Sue Kleve
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, 3168, Australia
| | - Tammie Choi
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, 3168, Australia
| | - Julie Brimblecombe
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, 3168, Australia.
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Mair JL, Castro O, Salamanca-Sanabria A, Frese BF, von Wangenheim F, Tai ES, Kowatsch T, Müller-Riemenschneider F. Exploring the potential of mobile health interventions to address behavioural risk factors for the prevention of non-communicable diseases in Asian populations: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:753. [PMID: 37095486 PMCID: PMC10123969 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15598-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changing lifestyle patterns over the last decades have seen growing numbers of people in Asia affected by non-communicable diseases and common mental health disorders, including diabetes, cancer, and/or depression. Interventions targeting healthy lifestyle behaviours through mobile technologies, including new approaches such as chatbots, may be an effective, low-cost approach to prevent these conditions. To ensure uptake and engagement with mobile health interventions, however, it is essential to understand the end-users' perspectives on using such interventions. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions, barriers, and facilitators to the use of mobile health interventions for lifestyle behaviour change in Singapore. METHODS Six virtual focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 34 participants (mean ± SD; aged 45 ± 3.6 years; 64.7% females). Focus group recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach, followed by deductive mapping according to perceptions, barriers, facilitators, mixed factors, or strategies. RESULTS Five themes were identified: (i) holistic wellbeing is central to healthy living (i.e., the importance of both physical and mental health); (ii) encouraging uptake of a mobile health intervention is influenced by factors such as incentives and government backing; (iii) trying out a mobile health intervention is one thing, sticking to it long term is another and there are key factors, such as personalisation and ease of use that influence sustained engagement with mobile health interventions; (iv) perceptions of chatbots as a tool to support healthy lifestyle behaviour are influenced by previous negative experiences with chatbots, which might hamper uptake; and (v) sharing health-related data is OK, but with conditions such as clarity on who will have access to the data, how it will be stored, and for what purpose it will be used. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight several factors that are relevant for the development and implementation of mobile health interventions in Singapore and other Asian countries. Recommendations include: (i) targeting holistic wellbeing, (ii) tailoring content to address environment-specific barriers, (iii) partnering with government and/or local (non-profit) institutions in the development and/or promotion of mobile health interventions, (iv) managing expectations regarding the use of incentives, and (iv) identifying potential alternatives or complementary approaches to the use of chatbots, particularly for mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Louise Mair
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore.
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Oscar Castro
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Alicia Salamanca-Sanabria
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bea Franziska Frese
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Florian von Wangenheim
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Centre for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - E Shyong Tai
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tobias Kowatsch
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Centre for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Medicine, University of St.Gallen, St.Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Falk Müller-Riemenschneider
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Digital Health Center, Berlin Institute of Health, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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A Proposed Research Agenda for Promoting Healthy Retail Food Environments in the East Asia-Pacific Region. Curr Nutr Rep 2021; 10:267-281. [PMID: 34894342 DOI: 10.1007/s13668-021-00381-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This paper aimed to summarise existing literature on strategies to improve the healthiness of retail food environments in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region, and propose a prioritised research agenda on this topic. RECENT FINDINGS Little research on retail food environments has been conducted in the EAP region. Several approaches for measuring retail food environments were identified, although none have been tailored to the EAP context. A small number of policies and initiatives to promote healthy retail food environments have been implemented in EAP. Lessons learnt from successful implementation of initiatives in other regions could be applied in EAP. Retail food environments have a strong influence on food choices and health outcomes. Research can contribute to efforts to improve the healthiness of retail food environments in EAP by (1) describing the current state of retail food environments to highlight areas of good practice and concern and (2) identifying policies and initiatives that are likely to be effective, and mechanisms for their successful implementation.
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