Publications by authors named "A R Dobell"

Background: School food standards are a legal requirement for state-funded schools in England and are designed to promote healthy eating in pupils. However, state-funded academies/free schools established between 2010 and 2014 are exempt from this legislation. To complement the school food standards, the government launched the School Food Plan in 2013, which outlines voluntary actions that schools can take to support healthy eating and increase school meal uptake.

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Background: Many countries have introduced school food standards to improve the dietary intakes of school-aged children. England has school food standards (SFS) legislation in place but little is known about how well secondary schools comply with this. We aimed to assess compliance with the SFS legislation in English secondary schools and explore the impact of the SFS on pupils' nutritional intake.

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Article Synopsis
  • In the UK, 1 in 7 children start school with obesity, particularly in deprived areas, and many preschoolers don't meet activity or nutrition guidelines.
  • The NAP SACC intervention aims to improve children's physical activity and nutrition in nurseries by involving staff and parents in self-assessing and training over a 12-month period.
  • The study will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this intervention compared to usual practices, using accelerometers to measure activity levels and energy intake from meals and snacks.
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The earlier in life that a child can begin mastering fundamental movement skills (FMS), the more positive their physical activity (PA) trajectories and health outcomes are. To achieve sufficient development in FMS, children must be guided with tuition and practice opportunities. Schools and educators provide an opportunity for interventions that improve health behaviours and outcomes for children.

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