Evaluating the Impact of the Healthy Beverage Executive Order for City Agencies in Boston, Massachusetts, 2011–2013

Cradock, Angie L.; Kenney, Erica L.; McHugh, Anne; Conley, Lisa; Mozaffarian, Rebecca S.; Reiner, Jennifer; Gortmaker, Steven L.

doi:10.5888/pcd12.140549

Cited by 20 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Evaluation of FSG nutrition standards for government facilities is ongoing; however, early evidence has suggested nutrition standard policies have resulted in changes to the food environment such as increased availability of healthier foods and beverages (18,19). Although evaluation of sales and dietary intake changes in response to nutrition standards enactment in government facilities in the United States is limited, changes to cafeteria and vending are associated with increasing purchases and consumption of healthier foods in schools, hospitals, and other settings (20–23).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition Standards for Food Service Guidelines for Foods Served or Sold in Municipal Government Buildings or Worksites, United States, 2014

et al. 2016

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IntroductionThe Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that government agencies use nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold and provided at their facilities. In this study, we examine written nutrition standards for foods sold or served in local government buildings or worksites among US municipalities.MethodsWe used data from a 2014 national survey of 1,945 municipal governments serving populations of 1,000 or more to assess the presence of written nutrition standards, the food groups or nutrients addressed by standards, and the populations served by facilities where standards are applied. The prevalence of standards was estimated by municipality population size, rural–urban status, census region, poverty prevalence, education level, and racial/ethnic composition.ResultsOverall, 3.2% of US municipalities reported nutrition standards with greater prevalence observed among large municipalities (12.8% of municipalities with ≥50,000 people vs 2.2% of municipalities with <2,500 people, P < .001). Prevalence differed by region, and standards were most common in the West (6.6%) and least common in the Midwest (2.0%, P = .003).The most common nutrition topics addressed in standards were offering low-calorie beverages, fruits and vegetables, and free drinking water. Most standards applied to facilities serving government employees (67%) or the general public (66%), with fewer serving institutionalized populations (23%).ConclusionFew municipal governments reported having written nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold in their facilities in 2014. Implementing nutrition standards for foods sold or served by local governments is a strategy for increasing access to healthier foods and beverages among municipal employees and local residents.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition Standards for Food Service Guidelines for Foods Served or Sold in Municipal Government Buildings or Worksites, United States, 2014

et al. 2016

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“…The only full-scale evaluation of a jurisdiction setting standards for the nutritional quality of items available to its employees and the general public is that of the Healthy Beverage Executive Order enacted by the city of Boston [ 50 ]. Two years post-implementation, unhealthy beverage availability and average caloric content per beverage declined considerably compared to the pre-implementation period and compared to control sites.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compared to the pre-implementation period, access to red-coded, unhealthy beverages decreased by 27.8% (P<0.001) overall; red beverage access in vending machines decreased by 28.9% (P<0.001) and in cafes/cafeterias by 20.4% (P = 0.02). In addition, average calories per beverage sold within access points decreased by 48.6 kcal from 88.1 kcal to 39.5 kcal post-implementation [ 50 ]. However, positive trends of a lesser magnitude were also observed at the comparison sites, particularly the ones owned by the city rather than the state, indicating that a larger trend or a signaling effect beyond the direct intervention may have contributed to the changes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving food environments and tackling obesity: A realist systematic review of the policy success of regulatory interventions targeting population nutrition

2017

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BackgroundThis systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42015025276) employs a realist approach to investigate the effect of “real-world” policies targeting different aspects of the food environment that shape individual and collective nutrition.ObjectivesWe were interested in assessing intermediate outcomes along the assumed causal pathway to “policy success”, in addition to the final outcome of changed consumption patterns.Data sourcesWe performed a search of 16 databases through October 2015, with no initial restriction by language.Study eligibility criteriaWe included all publications that reported the effect of statutory provisions aimed at reducing the consumption of energy-dense foods and beverages in the general population. We allowed all methodological approaches that contained some measure of comparison, including studies of implementation progress.Study appraisal and synthesis methodsWe reviewed included studies using the appraisal tools for pre-post and observational studies developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Given the considerable heterogeneity in interventions assessed, study designs employed, and outcome measures reported, we opted for a narrative synthesis of results.Results and implicationsResults drawn from 36 peer-reviewed articles and grey literature reports demonstrated that isolated regulatory interventions can improve intermediate outcomes, but fail to affect consumption at clinically significant levels. The included literature covered six different types of interventions, with 19 studies reporting on calorie posting on chain restaurant menus. The large majority of the identified interventions were conducted in the US. Early results from recent taxation measures were published after the review cut-off date but these suggested more favorable effects on consumption levels. Nevertheless, the evidence assessed in this review suggests that current policies are generally falling short of anticipated health impacts.

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“…Municipal efforts, such as the policy to eliminate sugar-sweetened beverage sales on Boston city property, has also reduced sugar and caloric intake, with potential community-wide benefits [430]. Transformation of vending machine contents in urban parks has also been shown to bring caloric and sugar content in alignment with guidelines for children [431].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming Life: A Broad View of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Concept from an Ecological Justice Perspective

Prescott

Logan²

2016

IJERPH

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The influential scientist Rene J. Dubos (1901–1982) conducted groundbreaking studies concerning early-life environmental exposures (e.g., diet, social interactions, commensal microbiota, housing conditions) and adult disease. However, Dubos looked beyond the scientific focus on disease, arguing that “mere survival is not enough”. He defined mental health as fulfilling human potential, and expressed concerns about urbanization occurring in tandem with disappearing access to natural environments (and elements found within them); thus modernity could interfere with health via “missing exposures”. With the advantage of emerging research involving green space, the microbiome, biodiversity and positive psychology, we discuss ecological justice in the dysbiosphere and the forces—financial inequity, voids in public policy, marketing and otherwise—that interfere with the fundamental rights of children to thrive in a healthy urban ecosystem and learn respect for the natural environment. We emphasize health within the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) rubric and suggest that greater focus on positive exposures might uncover mechanisms of resiliency that contribute to maximizing human potential. We will entrain our perspective to socioeconomic disadvantage in developed nations and what we have described as “grey space”; this is a mental as much as a physical environment, a space that serves to insidiously reinforce unhealthy behavior, compromise positive psychological outlook and, ultimately, trans-generational health. It is a dwelling place that cannot be fixed with encephalobiotics or the drug-class known as psychobiotics.

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Evaluating the Impact of the Healthy Beverage Executive Order for City Agencies in Boston, Massachusetts, 2011–2013

Cited by 20 publications

References 21 publications

Nutrition Standards for Food Service Guidelines for Foods Served or Sold in Municipal Government Buildings or Worksites, United States, 2014

Nutrition Standards for Food Service Guidelines for Foods Served or Sold in Municipal Government Buildings or Worksites, United States, 2014

Improving food environments and tackling obesity: A realist systematic review of the policy success of regulatory interventions targeting population nutrition

Transforming Life: A Broad View of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Concept from an Ecological Justice Perspective

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