Objective: As part of a study exploring school food environments, this study aimed to understand youth perspectives of school food. Design: Photovoice, a qualitative visual methodology, was used to engage participants through phototaking, with goals of enabling reflection, promoting dialogue, and facilitating change. Setting: Participants were recruited through 2 youth-focused community organizations in Nova Scotia, Canada. Participants: Seven youths took part: 3 from a rural area and 4 from an urban center. Phenomenon of Interest: Youth perspectives on school food environments. Analysis: The photovoice process of selecting, contextualizing (using the SHOWeD method), and codifying was used for analysis. Results: Four themes were identified. First, spaces and places were important to youth food experiences. Second, key components of food environments were identified as quality, variety, time, and price. Third, the relation between food and social influence was highlighted. Fourth, the importance of amplifying youth voice was discussed. Conclusions and Implications: Youth emphasized a desire for greater variety and quality in affordable school food options and the opportunity to be involved in decision-making regarding school food. Future research in other contexts and across larger samples is warranted to extend these findings to help inform stakeholders in school food policy and program implementation.

The purpose of this review is to describe how health service and delivery systems support health equity, and to identify strategies and indicators being used to measure health equity. Introduction:It is widely acknowledged that a population health and equity approach is needed to improve the overall health of the population. The health service and delivery system plays an important role in this approach. Despite this, system transformation to address health inequities has been slow. This is due, in part, to the lack of evidence-based guidance on how health service and delivery systems can address and measure health equity integration. Most studies focus on health equity integration in the public health sector at a provincial or national level, but less is known about integration within the health service and delivery system. More information is needed to understand how that transformation is occurring, or could occur, to make a meaningful contribution toward improving population health outcomes.Inclusion criteria: This scoping review will identify studies that describe the strategies and indicators that health service and delivery systems are using to integrate health equity and how progress is measured. Evidence from qualitative, quantitative, mixed method studies, and gray literature will be included.Methods: This review will be conducted in accordance with JBI methodology for scoping reviews. A comprehensive search strategy, developed with a librarian scientist, will be used to identify relevant sources. Titles, abstracts, and full texts will be evaluated against inclusion criteria. Information will be extracted by two independent reviewers. Data will be synthesized and presented narratively, with tables and figures where appropriate.

Supporting the implementation of school food and nutrition policies (SFNPs) is an international priority to encourage healthier eating among children and youth. Such policies can improve equitable access, resources, and supports for healthy eating. However, despite the potential impact of SFNPs, several implementation barriers have been reported. This study sought to examine the system-level intervention points within a school food system using a complex systems framework. We conducted semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders working to influence the school food system in Nova Scotia, Canada. We sought to understand their roles and experiences with the SFNP by applying the Intervention Level Framework (ILF), a novel, solutions-oriented approach to better understand how complex systems function. Participants (n = 33) included teachers, parents, cafeteria workers, public health staff and non-profit organizations. Interview transcripts were first coded, then themed and finally analyzed using the ILF, resulting in three intervention points within the school food system. These were defined as: (1) Actors and Elements, (2) System Regulation and Interconnections and (3) Purpose and Values. We concluded that understanding the interactions between these system levels and stakeholder roles can help to inform the development of relevant policy strategies that better support healthier school food environments in this jurisdiction.

Defining competencies within health disciplines is important because it provides a shared understanding of the fundamental knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for research and practice while also offering a practical reference point for academic preparation and professional development. However, existing literature regarding competency frameworks does not address the unique needs of interdisciplinary population health research graduate students. The purpose of this project was to understand the competencies desired by interdisciplinary population health research graduate students within the Healthy Populations Institute (HPI) at Dalhousie University and to create a competency framework on which training and program development could be based. A student-led initiative was undertaken to identify core competencies necessary for interdisciplinary population health research graduate students from both traditional (e.g., health promotion) and nontraditional health (e.g., political science) backgrounds. Data were collected and analyzed via three phases: environmental scan, community resource mapping, and consultations with HPI research scholars. Through the environmental scan, core competencies and guiding principles were identified. Community resource mapping of local employment, volunteer, educational, and/or skill-building opportunities resulted in the development of a database. Consultations confirmed the validity of competencies identified in the scan and elicited further resources and suggestions for educational and professional skill development. This project resulted in a unique competency framework that will inform ongoing program development and foster additional opportunities for graduate students within HPI. The process of creating this framework may also be of value to other universities wishing to develop or refine their own set of competencies.

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