Successful ways to modify food choice: lessons from the literature

Buttriss, Judy; Stanner, Sara; McKevith, Brigid; Nugent, Anne P.; Kelly, Colette; Phillips, Frankie; Theobald, Hannah

doi:10.1111/j.1467-3010.2004.00462.x

Cited by 36 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 69 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Thorogood et al (9) summarized eight randomized controlled worksite trials in a meta-analysis, and showed an increase in consumption of close to 0?2 servings of fruit and vegetables/d. Buttriss et al (22) drew special attention to one of these studies, the Treatwell 5-a-Day Study, showing that involving family members could be a promising strategy to increase fruit and vegetable intake (24) , with potential benefits for the whole family (25) . Tailored health information and different counselling opportunities were provided in two more recently published intervention studies, one among construction labourers using telephone-delivered and mailed intervention (26) and another targeting firefighters either through a team-centred curriculum or through individual motivational interviews (27) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the diet of employees at blue-collar worksites: results from the ‘Food at Work’ intervention study

Lassen

Thorsen

Sommer

et al. 2011

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To examine the impact of a 6-month participatory and empowermentbased intervention study on employees' dietary habits and on changes in the canteen nutrition environment. Design: Worksites were stratified by company type and by the presence or absence of an in-house canteen, and randomly allocated to either an intervention group (five worksites) or a minimum intervention control group (three worksites). The study was carried out in partnership with a trade union and guided by an ecological framework targeting both individual and environment levels. Outcome measures included: (i) changes in employees' dietary habits derived from 4 d pre-coded food diaries of a group of employees at the worksites (paired-data structure); and (ii) the canteen nutrition environment as identified by aggregating chemical nutritional analysis of individual canteen lunches (different participants at baseline and at endpoint). Setting: Eight blue-collar worksites (five of these with canteens). Subjects: Employees. Results: In the intervention group (n 102), several significant positive nutritional effects were observed among employees, including a median daily decrease in intake of fat (22?2 %E, P 5 0?002) and cake and sweets (218 g/10 MJ, P 5 0?002) and a median increase in intake of dietary fibre (3 g/10 MJ, P , 0?001) and fruit (55 g/d, P 5 0?007 and 74 g/10 MJ, P 5 0?009). With regard to the canteen nutrition environment, a significant reduction in the percentage of energy obtained from fat was found in the intervention group (median difference 11 %E, P , 0?001, n 144).Conclusions: The present study shows that moderate positive changes in dietary patterns can be achieved among employees in blue-collar worksites.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the diet of employees at blue-collar worksites: results from the ‘Food at Work’ intervention study

Lassen

Thorsen

Sommer

et al. 2011

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The challenge is to interest them in change if longterm health is not their top priority. Tailored approaches may be more successful, with different approaches for disadvantaged and hard-to-reach groups and for different aspects of diet (52) . A recent study has asked participants 'What is the single most important thing that you could do, or that could be done, to make it easier for you to eat a healthy diet?'…”

Section: Improving Dietsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of factors affecting the food choices of disadvantaged women

Lawrence

Barker

2009

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The diets of young women are important not just for their own health but also for the long-term health of their offspring. Unbalanced unvaried diets are more common amongst poor and disadvantaged women. If the diets of these women are to be improved, it is first necessary to understand why they make the food choices they do. Influences on women's food choices range from the global to the individual: environmental factors, such as difficulty in acquiring and affording good-quality healthy foods; social support and social relationships, such as those with parents, spouses and children; life transitions, such as leaving home, living with a partner or having children; individual factors, such as having low perceived control or self-efficacy in making food choices and placing a low value on health in general and on their own health in particular. These interrelated factors all influence food choice, suggesting that if the diets of disadvantaged women are to be improved, it will be necessary to do more than simply educate about the link between diet and health. The present paper aims to review the range of factors that affect the food-choice decisions made by disadvantaged women as a step towards meeting the challenge of improving the health and nutrition of disadvantaged populations. The diets of young women are important not just for their own health, but also for the long-term health of their offspring (1,2) . Unbalanced and unvaried diets are known to be detrimental to the growth of babies (3)(4)(5) and are more common in disadvantaged women (6,7) . Women of lower educational attainment are much more likely to eat a poorquality diet than women of higher educational attainment (8) . Improving the diets of disadvantaged women before and during pregnancy may hold the key to breaking the cycle of disadvantage and ill health suffered by the poor in Britain today. Understanding food choiceInfluences on women's food choices range from the global to the individual. Global influences are shaped by the productionist paradigm of food provision, which in today's developed world means extensive food choice is available to individuals who have the necessary resources (9) . These resources include money, access to shops, time and the knowledge required to choose and prepare the variety of food products on offer. The negative side to the extensive range of foods available is that many of the cheapest easiest-to-prepare 'convenience' foods are high in saturated fats and sugars, which are undesirable in a healthy diet. The choices an individual makes are going to be determined partly by what retailers offer.Macro-environmental influences will vary according to local community and social circumstances shared by individuals living in similar situations. Micro-environmental influences such as family dynamics will affect the choices made by the household. Individual influences, such as preferences, will determine who eats what within that household. To make food choices individuals need to consider what, how, when, where and with whom ...

show abstract

“…A number of intervention studies at worksite settings have shown that it is possible to increase F&V intake among employees (14)(15)(16)(17)(18) . The same conclusion is found in systematic reviews analysing the evidence on effectiveness and programmes promoting F&V intake in adults (6,19,20) , but little is known about the long-term persistence of these changes, especially after the intervention has ceased.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term sustainability of a worksite canteen intervention of serving more fruit and vegetables

Thorsen

Lassen

Tetens

et al. 2010

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To analyse the 5-year sustainability of a worksite canteen intervention of serving more fruit and vegetables (F&V). Design: Average F&V consumption per customer per meal per day was assessed in five worksite canteens by weighing F&V served and subtracting waste. Data were collected by the canteen staff during a 3-week continuous period and compared to data from the same five canteens measured at baseline, at end point and at 1-year follow-up. The intervention used a participatory and empowering approach, self-monitoring and networking among the canteen staff, management and a consultant. The method focused on providing ideas for increased F&V for lunch, making environmental changes in the canteens by giving access to tasteful and healthy food choices and reducing the availability of unhealthy options. Setting: Five Danish worksites serving from 50 to 500 meals a day: a military base, an electronic component distributor, a bank, a town hall and a waste-handling facility. Subjects: Worksite canteen managers, canteen staff. Results: Four of the five worksite canteens were able to either maintain the intervention or even increase the consumption of F&V. The average increase from baseline to 5-year follow-up was 95 g per customer per meal per day (18, 144, 66, 105 and 141 g, respectively). On average, the five canteens at the long-term follow-up had an F&V consumption of 208 g/meal per customer. Conclusions: The present study indicates that sustainability of F&V is possible in worksites where the participatory and empowering approach, self-monitoring, environmental change, dialogue with suppliers and networking among worksite canteens are applied.

show abstract

Successful ways to modify food choice: lessons from the literature

Cited by 36 publications

References 69 publications

Improving the diet of employees at blue-collar worksites: results from the ‘Food at Work’ intervention study

Improving the diet of employees at blue-collar worksites: results from the ‘Food at Work’ intervention study

A review of factors affecting the food choices of disadvantaged women

Long-term sustainability of a worksite canteen intervention of serving more fruit and vegetables

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About