Newsbites
See wholefoodliving.life/references-spring-2022 to review references cited below
Nutrition development group to examine Kiwi eating habits
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t’s been more than a decade since New Zealand conducted its last Adult Nutrition Survey but work is now nearing completion on the development of the assessment tools needed to conduct the upcoming survey. The team involved comprises participants from the National Institute for Health Innovation (NIHI), University of Auckland and Massey University Wellington. They will be working alongside the Ministry of Health, the Minisry of Primary Industries (MPI) and “other key stakeholders.” Their work so far (it started back in October 2021) has been to develop the design, methodology, and assessment tools needed for the job. It was expected to be near completion as this edition went to press. The proposed survey will include children, young people and adults. Key features of the survey’s development contract include: • Developing the methodology and tools to undertake data collection and analysis that will provide high quality and robust data to monitor the food and nutrient intake and nutritional status of the New Zealand population. • Developing tools that can be deployed in a National Nutrition Survey including a dietary assessment tool, and questionnaires to collect data on usual dietary habits, food security, nutrition related health conditions, biomedical components, and socio-demographics. • Ensuring survey methodology and tools are acceptable to and responsive to Māori, Pacific and Asian peoples, and participation of Māori at all stages of development of the survey methodology and tools. Separate adult and child surveys are involved. According to the Ministry of Health "the surveys collect detailed information on food and nutrient intake and nutritional status of New Zealanders. This information is needed to monitor food and nutrition policies and guidelines, labelling and safety, and for
At top, the University of Auckland team from left: Caitlin Haliburton (Project Support Assistant), Maria Maiquez (Project Coordinator), Dr Berit Follong, Professor Clare Wall, Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu (Project Lead), Dr Helen Eyles, Jacqui Grey (Project Manager), Dr Sally Mackay, and Dr Kathryn Bradbury (not present). Immediately above, from Massey University: Associate Professor Lisa Te Morenga, Professor Barry Borman and Dr Ridvan Firestone. dietary modelling (enabling risk assessment and the development of regulations relating to food composition such as mandatory fortification)." Surveys will collect information on: 1. Food and nutrient intake (including dietary supplements). 2. The parties influencing dietary intake (including food preparation practices and household food security). 3. Nutritional status. 4. Nutrition-related health status, using a combination of interviews and examinations. The surveys include an interviewer-administered 24-hour dietary recall, health questionnaires, as well as a biological component. The examination component includes anthropometric measurements (eg, height and weight), blood pressure measurement, and blood and urine samples. There was no word on when interviews would commence at the time WFL went to print.
Unhealthy food environments badly impact school children R
ecent research conducted in Belgium further confirms longheld anecdotal views that children are seriously impacted by the location of fast food outlets near the school they attend, and the community where they live. The research(1), carried out in Flanders, Belgium, between 2008 and 2020, was published on August 18, 2022. It tracked the density of outlets near schools and the shortest distance from the school entrance to the nearest food retailer of a certain type. Food environments near schools in Flanders were found to be unhealthy in 2020, with a significant increase in fast food
52 wholefoodliving.life | Spring 2022
restaurants and convenience stores between 2008 and 2020. Researchers discovered a significant positive association between the density of fast food restaurants and convenience stores around primary schools, and the percentage of overweight children aged 6–12 years. Their conclusion was that food environments around schools in Flanders became unhealthier over time and were associated with children’s weight status. They also noted that most current food environments do not encourage healthy eating(2), and that the obesity epidemic is at least partly a consequence of these environments.(3)
