Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of food and nutrition regulations in developing healthy behaviors of young children, this study profiled the food and nutrient contribution of snacks, the foods and drinks consumed outside of main meals, in the diets of a sample of children between the ages of 3-5 years overall and in regulated child care…

As food supply practices must adapt to the reality of limited natural resources, alternative solutions must be found to meet the dietary needs of a growing world population. Edible insect consumption represents a sustainable substitute to that of conventional meat. Psychological barriers are largely responsible for dictating Westerners' aversion…

Adolescents' intake of vegetables and fruits is generally low, and many demonstrate unhealthy eating behaviors. Food literacy may be key to improving adolescents' nutrition. However, the relationship between food literacy, fruit and vegetable intake, and other healthy eating behaviors remains unclear, as well as how these relationships may differ…

Purpose: University students are a unique population with great potential to adopt eating habits that promote positive human and planetary health outcomes. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the current perceptions of sustainable eating behaviours among the students and to examine the determinants of sustainable eating behaviours.…

Objective: In this study, we investigate university students to learn about their barriers to improving and/or maintaining a healthy lifestyle and their needs and interests regarding the development of a tailored intervention to promote physical activity and a healthy diet. Participants: The qualitative research included three focus groups…

Feeding problems, such as picky eating and food avoidance, are common in youth with autism. Other feeding and eating problems (e.g. disordered eating, fear of trying new foods, and insistence on specific food presentation) are also common in this population. This scoping review describes the nature and extent of feeding and eating problems in…

Background: We explored priority areas of food safety education needed by high-school students within Ontario, Canada. Methods: We analyzed transcripts from semistructured interviews with 20 experts in food safety, food safety education in youth, and high-school education in Ontario. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify priority food…

Background: Limited evidence exists on effects of school-based nutrition policies. This study explored the influence of mandatory versus voluntary provincial school nutrition policies on student eating behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional, school-based survey assessed student eating behaviors using self-report survey measures in a representative…

Background: Research indicates home-packed school lunches are lower in nutritional value compared with school-provided meals. Due to the lack of a school lunch program, most of what Canadian children consume during the school day is determined by parents and caregivers through packed lunches. Despite this, little research has focused on the school…

Background: This study aims to quantify associations between one's weight management goal and eating behaviors and physical activity among teenagers. Methods: Weighted logistic regressions were performed predicting healthy behaviors from weight goal separately for boys and girls while controlling for age, body mass index, socioeconomic indicators,…

Nudging is increasingly used in public health interventions in Western societies to produced health-promoting behavior changes; however, there is lack of clarity as to what constitutes a nudge, scant knowledge of the effectiveness of nudging techniques in public health lifestyle interventions and a number of ethical and value-based concerns. The…

Objectives: An increasing number of nutrition policies have been implemented in Ontario schools as part of a concerted effort to address students' well-being. This article explores understandings of biological differences in nutrition requirements between young men and women and the extent to which these differences are (re)produced in social…

The completion of a 3-d food record, using commonly available nutrient analysis software, is a typical assignment for students in nutrition and food science programs. While these assignments help students evaluate their personal diets, it is insufficient to teach students about surveys of large population cohorts. This paper shows how the Test,…

The obesity epidemic in North America has given greater attention to food and nutrition literacy in Canadian schools. However, the review of relevant literature on food and nutrition literacy reveals quite a range of understandings of what such literacy means. This raises the question of what understanding of food and nutrition literacy is…

Background: Media literacy skills are needed to navigate high levels of food marketing promoting the consumption of unhealthy foods. Health-promoting media literacy education encourages children to use analytical skills to critically examine media messages in order to make informed health choices. Objective: To evaluate the influence of media…