Schools are an attractive and popular setting for implementing interventions for children. There is a growing body of empirical research exploring the efficacy of school-based obesity prevention programs. While there have been several reviews on the topic, findings remain mixed. To examine the quality of evidence and compare the findings from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of school-based programs in the prevention and control of childhood obesity. This paper systematically appraises the methodology and conclusions of literature reviews examining the effectiveness of school-based obesity interventions published in English in peer-reviewed journals between January 1990 and October 2010. Eight reviews were examined, three meta-analyses and five systematic reviews. All of the reviews recognized that studies were heterogeneous in design, participants, intervention and outcomes. Intervention components in the school setting associated with a significant reduction of weight in children included long-term interventions with combined diet and physical activity and a family component. Several reviews also found gender differences in response to interventions. Of the eight reviews, five were deemed of high quality and yet limited evidence was found on which to base recommendations. As no single intervention will fit all schools and populations, further high-quality research needs to focus on identifying specific program characteristics predictive of success.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the consumption of ultra-processed foods in Australia and its association with the intake of nutrients linked to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).DesignCross-sectional study.SettingNational Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (2011-2012).Participants12,153 participants aged 2+ years.Main outcome measuresAverage dietary content of nutrients linked to NCDs and the prevalence of intake outside levels recommended for the prevention of NCDs.Data analysisFood items were classified according to the NOVA system, a classification based on the nature, extent and purpose of industrial food processing. The contribution of each NOVA food group and their subgroups to total energy intake was calculated. Mean nutrient content of ultra-processed food and non-ultra-processed food fractions of the diet were compared. Across quintiles of the energy contribution of ultra-processed foods, differences in the intake of nutrients linked to NCDs as well as in the prevalence of intakes outside levels recommended for the prevention of NCDs were examined.ResultsUltra-processed foods had the highest dietary contribution (42.0% of energy intake), followed by unprocessed or minimally processed foods (35.4%), processed foods (15.8%) and processed culinary ingredients (6.8%). A positive and statistically significant linear trend was found between quintiles of ultra-processed food consumption and intake levels of free sugars (standardised β 0.43, p<0.001); total (β 0.08, p<0.001), saturated (β 0.18, p<0.001) and trans fats (β 0.10, p<0.001); sodium (β 0.21, p<0.001) and diet energy density (β 0.41, p<0.001), while an inverse relationship was observed for dietary fibre (β -0.21, p<0.001) and potassium (β -0.27, p<0.001). The prevalence of non-recommended intake levels of all studied nutrients increased linearly across quintiles of ultra-processed food intake, notably from 22% to 82% for free sugars, from 6% to 11% for trans fat and from 2% to 25% for dietary energy density, from the lowest to the highest ultra-processed food quintile.ConclusionThe high energy contribution of ultra-processed foods impacted negatively on the intake of non-ultra-processed foods and on all nutrients linked to NCDs in Australia. Decreasing the dietary share of ultra-processed foods would substantially improve the diet quality in the country and help the population achieve recommendations on critical nutrients linked to NCDs.

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Mitchell, P. 2013, 'Higher regular fat dairy consumption is associated with lower incidence of metabolic syndrome but not type 2 diabetes', Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, vol. 23,no. 9, Higher regular fat dairy consumption is associated with lower incidence of metabolic syndrome but not type 2 diabetes AbstractBackground and aims Limited evidence suggests habitual dairy consumption to be protective against metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) and type 2 diabetes among older adults. We assessed the association of baseline consumption of dairy products with the incidence of MetSyn and type 2 diabetes among a cohort of Australian adults aged 49 years and over. Methods and results A validated 145-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess food and nutrient intake at baseline. Ten-year incidence of MetSyn and type 2 diabetes were obtained from 1807 and 1824 subjects respectively. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated by discrete time logistic regression modelling. Compared with subjects in the lowest intake quartile of regular fat dairy products, those in the highest quartile had a 59% lower risk of MetSyn (multivariate adjusted OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.23-0.71; ptrend = 0.004), after adjustment for risk factors. Among obese subjects, an association between a high intake of regular fat dairy foods and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes was also found (age and sex adjusted OR 0.37; 95% CI: 0.16-0.88; ptrend = 0.030), but the association did not persist after adjustment for additional confounders. There was no association between total dairy consumption and risk of MetSyn or type 2 diabetes. Conclusions We found an inverse association between regular fat dairy consumption and risk of MetSyn among Australian older adults. Further studies are warranted to examine the association between weight status, dairy consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes.