To explore the information available in school food purchase data and ascertain the potential to assess pupils’ dietary intakes. The proportion of purchased food and drink items that were linked to (i) an Intake24 food group and (ii) a nutrient code from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) Databank was calculated.

Pupil-level food purchase data covering the whole school day were obtained. Each item purchased was linked to an Intake24 food group and an NDNS Nutrient Databank code. Depending on the level of detail provided, items may have been assigned both a food group and a nutrient code, a food group only or neither for items, which did not contain enough information about the type of food or drink purchased.

Five secondary schools in northeast England.

Secondary school pupils aged 11–16 years.

The data captured 119 125 purchases made by 3466 pupils. 92 % of item descriptions were assigned a food group, and this equated to 82 % of total purchases. 70 % were assigned an NDNS Databank nutrient code, which accounted for 60 % of total purchases. 8 % of items had insufficient information and did not have a food group or a nutrient code assigned.

The methodological challenges of collecting dietary data from pupils in the secondary school setting are significant. Purchase data offers an alternative, objective approach to collecting information on school food choices across the school day and for a large sample of pupils. With further development, the potential to use purchase data to assess intakes could be achieved.

We evaluated the impact of an established nutrition education intervention, ‘PhunkyFoods’ on food literacy, cooking skills and fruit and vegetable intake in primary school aged children.

A pre-registered cluster randomised controlled trial was used; the intervention group received the ‘PhunkyFoods’ programme and the wait-list control group received the usual school curriculum. Primary outcomes measured were differences in food literacy and cooking skills scores between the intervention and control arms after 12 months adjusted for baseline values.

The trial was undertaken in twenty-six primary schools in North Yorkshire, UK.

631 children aged 6–9 years participated (intervention n 307, control n 324) through assemblies, classroom activities and after-school clubs.

There were no significant effects of the intervention compared with control on food literacy, cooking skills, vegetable intake or fruit intake. Adjusting for baseline, the Food Literacy Total Score was 1·13 points lower in the intervention group than the control (95 % CI –2·87, 0·62, P = 0·2). The Cooking Skills Total Score was 0·86 lower in the intervention group compared with the control (95 % CI = –5·17, 3·45, P = 0·69). Girls scored 2·8 points higher than boys in cooking skills across the sample (95 % CI = 0·88, 4·82, P < 0·01).

The intervention did not result in improved food literacy or cooking skills, though sex effects on these outcomes were observed. More practical food preparation hours are needed in primary schools to improve the likelihood of an effect on outcomes.

Food insecurity (FI) in the higher education setting is a pressing social justice and public health nutrition issue. Persistent FI rates among students suggest that the current programmes and institutional policies are inadequate. Engaging the community in co-design practices can enhance research and decision-making, leading to more targeted advocacy and solutions. This review describes and evaluates evidence of co-design approaches and identifies strategies for addressing FI in higher education settings.

A review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. Literature was searched in three electronic databases (Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE and Web of Science) and two search engines (Google and Google Scholar).

Only studies based in higher education settings were included.

Higher education students.

The search identified 814 studies, of which twenty-eight met the inclusion criteria. Studies involving co-design and participatory research frameworks had higher participation, leading to increased student awareness of FI, student leadership and the development of campaigns and collaborative organisational structures. A content analysis approach identified seven categories for strategies targeting student FI: (1) policy and institutional support; (2) strategic partnerships (3) advocacy and awareness; (4) initiatives for student engagement; (5) student skills and knowledge development; (6) programme development and (7) campus food environment.

Co-designed research methodologies are important for addressing student FI, enhancing advocacy and understanding stakeholder needs. Future studies should prioritise collaborative approaches when exploring solutions to FI and similar social justice issues affecting students.

The use of online food delivery (OFD) platforms is on the rise, and currently, there are no public health policies that regulate what and how food is sold on these platforms. Research quantifying and describing the marketing strategies on OFD platforms is limited. Our study aimed to test the consumers’ acceptability of using two screen capture methods to record their food purchasing behaviour on OFD platforms and describe consumers’ exposure to, and engagement with, marketing strategies on OFD platforms in real time.

Semi-structured online interviews on the consumer acceptability of using the screen capture methods were analysed using thematic analysis. Screen recordings of OFD orders were analysed using content analysis, guided by the marketing mix framework (i.e. product, placement, price and promotion).

Victoria, Australia

Twenty adults using the OFD service at least once a month were recruited.

The mean age of the sample was 28 years. 75 % were females, over 80 % had completed higher education and 20 % lived with children < 18 years of age. Over half used OFD service two to five times per week. Participants expressed that both smartphone’s in-built screen recording function and third-party screen recording application are easy-to-use and time-efficient with high levels of user satisfaction. A range of marketing strategies were observed on the OFD platform. These included the presence of, and strategic placement of selected food products, price discounts and promotion strategies. Participants appeared to engage with marketing strategies through multiple clicks to reduce the total cost of their OFD order.

Our study demonstrates that screen recording is an acceptable method for capturing and assessing consumers’ real-time exposure to, and engagement with, a range of marketing strategies on the OFD platform. Studies with larger samples are needed to substantiate our findings.

This research provides the first population-based investigation of intimate partner violence (IPV) and women’s dietary intake of iron and Vitamin A-rich foods using representative data from eight low- and middle-income countries.

Using multivariable logistic regression, we estimated the relationship between various forms of past year IPV (physical, emotional and sexual) and consumption of Vitamin A and iron-rich foods.

We conducted secondary data analysis of cross-sectional demographic and health surveys from Cambodia (2021, n 5640), Nepal (2022, n 4179), Sierra Leone (2019, n 3812), Nigeria (2018, n 8313), Tajikistan (2017, n 4800), Cote D’Ivoire (2021, n 3656), Kenya (2022, n 10 758) and the Philippines (2022, n 12 278).

Women of reproductive age (15–49 years) comprised the analytical sample.

Results revealed distinct relationship patterns between various IPV forms and women’s dietary consumption of micronutrient-rich foods. The most consistent relationships being that past year (i) sexual IPV (adjusted OR (aOR): 0·72, 95 % CI: 0·53, 0·98), (ii) physical IPV (aOR: 0·86, 95 % CI: 0·73, 1·01) and (iii) emotional IPV (aOR: 0·81, 95 % CI: 0·70, 0·94) significantly reduced the odds of consuming iron-rich foods in the pooled analyses. Due to between-country heterogeneity concerning the relationship between IPV and Vitamin A, pooled estimates for dietary vitamin A consumption were non-significant. However, in the Philippines, IPV was associated with reduced dietary Vitamin A intake.

IPV is associated with altered dietary intake patterns and between-country differences could be due to different food environments. Mechanisms explaining our findings may involve consequences of IPV that impact diet and dietary practices: depression, control of resources and physical trauma.

We determined whether dietary species richness (DSR) (i) can be robustly measured using 4-day food intake data, (ii) is dependent on socio-demographic characteristics and (iii) is associated with diet quality.

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) nutrient databank 2018–2019 was expanded to include FoodEx2 food classifications, ingredients, the number and identity of unique species, Nutrient Rich Food 8·3 (NRF 8·3) Index scores and greenhouse gas emissions. Four-day food intake data and socio-demographic variables were used to calculate diet quality and DSR on the food and diet level.

The United Kingdom (UK).

Participants from NDNS 9–11 (2016–2019).

Composite dishes had the highest DSR (median 8 (Q1 = 4, Q3 = 12)), followed by seasoning, sauces and condiments (median 7, (Q1 = 4, Q3 = 10)) and, grains and grain-based products (median 5, (Q1 = 2, Q3 = 7)). Median DSR over 4 days was 49 (Q1 = 43, Q3 = 56; range 14–92), with the first 2 days achieving 80 % of DSR measured over 4 days. DSR was significantly higher in those who were younger, those with a higher household income or those with a lower level of deprivation (all P < 0·001). Higher DSR was associated with a small but significant improvement in nutritional quality (P < 0·001). Also, adherence to dietary guidelines such as fibre, fruits and vegetables and fish was associated with significantly higher DSR (all P < 0·001).

We successfully established DSR based on 4-day food intake data. We also identified opportunities to improve DSR by increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, fibre and fish.

To use the validated Online Quality Assessment Tool (OQAT) to assess the quality of online nutrition information.

The social networking platform was formerly known as Twitter (now X).

Utilising the Twitter search application programming interface (API; v1·1), all tweets that included the word ‘nutrition’, along with associated metadata, were collected on seven randomly selected days in 2021. Tweets were screened, those without a URL were removed and the remainder were grouped on retweet status. Articles (shared via URL) were assessed using the OQAT, and quality levels were assigned (low, satisfactory, high). Mean differences between retweeted and non-retweeted data were assessed by the Mann–Whitney U test. The Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel test was used to compare information quality by source.

In total, 10 573 URL were collected from 18 230 tweets. After screening for relevance, 1005 articles were assessed (9568 were out of scope) sourced from professional blogs (n 354), news outlets (n 213), companies (n 166), personal blogs (n 120), NGO (n 60), magazines (n 55), universities (n 19) and government (n 18). Rasch measures indicated the quality levels: 0–3·48, poor, 3·49–6·3, satisfactory and 6·4–10, high quality. Personal and company-authored blogs were more likely to rank as poor quality. There was a significant difference in the quality of retweeted (n 267, sum of rank, 461·6) and non-retweeted articles (n 738, sum of rank, 518·0), U = 87 475, P= 0·006 but no significant effect of information source on quality.

Lower-quality nutrition articles were more likely to be retweeted. Caution is required when using or sharing articles, particularly from companies and personal blogs, which tend to be lower-quality sources of nutritional information.

To examine the extent and nature of food and non-alcoholic drink advertising displayed on public transport and infrastructure on school routes.

Audit of outdoor advertisements on government-controlled public transport and associated infrastructure (e.g. tram shelters, bus stops) on busy school routes in Victoria, Australia. Using a strict protocol, trained field workers collected data on the type and content of outdoor advertising during February 2023 (start of school year). Food/drink advertising was classified (unhealthy or healthy) according to the Council of Australian Governments Health Council National interim guide to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food and drink promotion (2018).

Government-controlled buses, trams and public transport infrastructure on routes from eleven of the busiest train stations in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia to fifty public primary and secondary schools. Stations were chosen based on annual patronage, area-based socio-economic area (SEA) and regionality).

156 out of 888 advertisements were for food and non-alcoholic drinks. Of these, almost six in ten (58 %) were deemed unhealthy irrespective of SEA or regionality. Marketing appeals most featured were taste (31 %), convenience (28 %) and emotion (9 %). A significantly higher proportion of unhealthy advertisements were displayed within 500 m of schools v. outside this radius (91 % v. 57 %, P < 0·01).

Given the detrimental impacts of exposure to unhealthy food/drink advertising on children’s diets, the pervasive, powerful presence of such advertising across government public transport assets, particularly around schools, contradicts public health recommendations to protect children from exposure to and influence by this harmful marketing and warrants government action.

Underweight, wasting and stunting are crucial malnutrition indicators responsible for morbidities among children. Data regarding coexisting forms of malnutrition (CFM) are scarce. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of CFM across two survey years among under-5 Bangladeshi children.

Cross-sectional study.

Data were acquired from two rounds of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Bangladesh conducted in 2012–13 and 2019. Subjects: The analysis included 43 946 (2012–13: 20 885; 2019: 23 061) under-5 children.

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 ((2012–13:aOR = 0·70, 95 % CI: 0·64, 0·77); (2019:aOR = 0·71, 95 % CI: 0·65, 0·78), higher maternal education ((2012–13:aOR = 0·28, 95 % CI: 0·24, 0·32); (2019:aOR = 0·28, 95 % CI: 0·24, 0·32), larger size at birth ((2012–13:aOR = 0·62, 95 % CI: 0·52, 0·73); (2019:aOR: 0·60, 95 % CI: 0·50, 0·73) and richest wealth quintile ((2012–13:aOR = 0·25, 95 % CI: 0·22, 0·28); (2019:aOR: 0·30, 95 % CI: 0·27, 0·34)) had lower odds of suffering from CFM compared with 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 with 2012–13 (24·50 % and 20·15 %, respectively; P-value < 0·001)

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.