Description, measurement and evaluation of tertiary-education food environments

Abstract

Obesity in young adults is an increasing health problem in Australia and many other countries. Evidence-based information is needed to guide interventions that reduce the obesity-promoting elements in tertiary-education environments. In a food environmental audit survey, 252 outlets were audited across seven institutions: three universities and four technical and further education institutions campuses. A scoring instrument called the food environment-quality index was developed and used to assess all food outlets on these campuses. Information was collated on the availability, accessibility and promotion of foods and beverages and a composite score (maximum score = 148; higher score indicates healthier outlets) was calculated. Each outlet and the overall campus were ranked into tertiles based on their 'healthiness'. Differences in median scores for each outcome measure were compared between institutions and outlet types using one-way ANOVA with post hoc Scheffe's testing, χ 2 tests, Kruskal-Wallis H test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Binomial logistic regressions were used to compare the proportion of healthy v. unhealthy food categories across different types of outlets. Overall, the most frequently available items were sugarsweetened beverages (20 % of all food/drink items) followed by chocolates (12 %), high-energy (>600 kJ/serve) foods (10 %), chips (10 %) and confectionery (10 %). Healthy food and beverages were observed to be less available, accessible and promoted than unhealthy options. The median score across all outlets was 72 (interquartile range = 7). Tertiary-education food environments are dominated by high-energy, nutrient-poor foods and beverages. Interventions to decrease availability, accessibility and promotion of unhealthy foods are needed.

Removal of sugary drinks from vending machines: an Australian university case study

“…Our findings add to growing evidence of a high prevalence of unhealthy foods and beverages (in particular SSBs) on Australian university campuses, which is concerning 6 . Consistent with existing theoretical frameworks to support guideline implementation, these results indicate that the use of an audit and feedback strategy for food environments, in combination with strong leadership, can affect positive change 7 .…”

Healthiness of Food and Beverages for Sale at Two Public Hospitals in New South Wales, Australia

“…A paper-based audit tool was developed to assess the following Framework parameters: product availability, product placement, ‘promotional’ pricing (i.e., meal deals), and advertising of foods and beverages ( Supplemental Materials, document S1 ). The design of the audit tool was informed by a review of existing measures for assessing food environments [ 5 ], as well as a previous tool used for vending machines [ 13 , 14 ]. The final audit tool was pre-tested ( n = 3) for feasibility and amended to resolve ambiguities.…”

The Impact of Food Service Attributes on Customer Satisfaction in a Rural University Campus Environment

“…Institutions have a responsibility to provide an environment that makes it easier for students to make healthier food easier. Previous research indicates that many institutions food environments are filled with energy-dense nutrient-poor food that may be heavily promoted [31,32]. Moreover, it is the operators' role to provide a variety of products in their menus that will give its customers more options to choose from.…”