The impact of exposure to sugary drink marketing on youth brand preference and recall: a cross-sectional and multi-country analysis.

Background: Consumption of sugary drinks (SD) among children and adolescents is a prevalent public health issue both within Canada and worldwide. This problem is exacerbated by the powerful marketing of such beverages to youth, which is known to influence a wide range of dietary behaviours.

Methods: A cross-sectional, secondary analysis of the International Food Policy Survey Youth Wave 2019 was conducted to assess the relationship between self-reported exposure to SD marketing within the past 30 days or SD brand advertisements and brand preference and brand recall among youth aged 10-17 from Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Offline to online: a systematic mapping review of evidence to inform nutrition-related policies applicable to online food delivery platforms.

Background: Online food delivery (OFD) platforms offer easy access to an abundance of energy-dense and nutrient-poor takeaway foods and may exacerbate existing unhealthy food environments. Efforts to improve population diets include a range of policy recommendations focused on improving the healthiness of food environments; however, the way in which such policies may apply to OFD platforms is not clear. This paper aimed to synthesise the existing evidence to inform nutrition-related policies applicable to OFD platforms for population health and well-being.

Testing alcohol container warning labels among alcohol consumers in the field over a 4-week period: a protocol for a randomized field trial.

Objective: Online and lab-based experiments examining the impact of alcohol labels typically test a one-time exposure to labels and assess short-term, non-behavioural outcomes. These studies do not simulate a real-world label dose or assess actual alcohol use. This pilot aimed to develop a new protocol for testing alcohol labels that better reflects real-world exposure by presenting labels on consumers' own alcohol products over time and assessing effects on several outcomes, including alcohol use.

Development and cognitive testing of a food frequency questionnaire to assess intake of plant-based protein foods among older adults.

Objectives: To develop a web-based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) measuring intake of plant-based protein foods (PBPs) among older adults from the province of Quebec, Canada.

Design: The questionnaire was adapted from an existing self-administered FFQ and first underwent expert panel evaluation for face and content validity. Then, three phases of cognitive testing were conducted in French, using the probe and think aloud approaches.

Food and beverage manufacturing and retailing company policies and commitments to improve the healthfulness of Canadian food environments.

Background: Food and beverage companies play a central role in shaping the healthfulness of food environments.

Methods: The BIA-Obesity tool was used to evaluate and benchmark the specificity, comprehensiveness and transparency of the food environment-related policies and commitments of leading food and beverage manufacturing and retailing companies in Canada. Policies and commitments related to the healthfulness of food environments within 6 action areas were assessed: 1) corporate nutrition strategy; 2) product (re)formulation; 3) nutrition information and labelling; 4) product and brand promotion; 5) product accessibility; and 6) disclosure of relationships with external organizations.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Intakes of Ultraprocessed and Minimally Processed Foods in Nationally Representative Samples of Adults in Canada: An Analysis of Trends between 2004 and 2015.

Background: Individuals with a lower socioeconomic position (SEP) often have higher intakes of ultraprocessed food (UPF) and lower intakes of minimally processed food (MPF); however, studies have not examined trends in absolute and relative gaps and gradients in UPF and MPF intake using multiple indicators of SEP.

Objectives: We examined within-year absolute and relative gaps and gradients in UPF and MPF intake and trends between 2004 and 2015 according to 6 indicators of SEP among nationally representative samples of adults in Canada.

Methods: Adults (≥18 y) in the Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition 2004 (n = 20,880) or 2015 (n = 13,970) reported SEP (individual and household education, household income adequacy, household food insecurity, neighborhood material and social deprivation) and completed a 24-h dietary recall.

Body Weight Perceptions Among Youth From 6 Countries and Associations With Social Media Use: Findings From the International Food Policy Study.

Background: Body dissatisfaction is associated with poor psychological and physical health, particularly among young people. However, limited data exist on body size perceptions across countries and factors associated with dissatisfaction.

Objective: This study examined dissatisfaction prevalence and associations with sociodemographics and social media use among youth in 6 countries.

Examining the Role of Aguas Frescas in Assessment of Sugary-Drink Intake among Mexican and Mexican American Adults.

Background: Aguas frescas are Mexican drinks that are typically made with water, sugar, and fruit. Aguas frescas may be a significant component of sugary-drink intake among Mexican and Mexican-American (MA) adults. However, it is unclear whether survey respondents report aguas frescas consumption when it is not specifically queried in standardized beverage frequency instruments.

Use of online food delivery services among adults in five countries from the International Food Policy Study 2018-2021.

Aim: Online food delivery services (OFDS) are popular for purchasing meals prepared outside home, increasing access to energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods. This adversely impacts dietary choices and health outcomes. Our study examined trends in OFDS use in Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) from 2018 to 2021.

#junkfluenced: the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages by social media influencers popular with Canadian children on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Background: Marketing of unhealthy foods to children on digital media significantly impacts their dietary preferences and contributes to diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Canadian children spend a significant amount of time on digital devices and are frequently exposed to unhealthy food marketing on social media, including by influencers with celebrity status who endorse products. This study aimed to examine the frequency, healthfulness, and power of unhealthy food marketing in posts by influencers popular with Canadian children on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Sociodemographic differences in nutrition labels effect on Chilean and Mexican youth.

Objective: To examine sociodemographic differences in the awareness, understanding, use and effect of nutrition labels among Mexican and Chilean youth.

Methods: Online surveys among youth (10-17 years) were obtained in 2019 (n=2631). Participants reported their awareness, understanding, and use of their country-specific nutrition facts tables (NFT) and front-of-pack labels (FOPL) (Chile: warning labels [WLs]; Mexico: guideline daily amounts [GDA]).

Qualitative analysis of UK women's attitudes to calorie-based alcohol marketing and alcohol calorie labelling.

Mandatory standardized nutritional information on alcoholic drinks such as energy, or calorie labelling, is a population-level public health measure aimed at addressing obesity and alcohol consumption. In the UK, such measures are not a statutory requirement, but some alcohol brands do include references to calories on their products and in their marketing materials, as a marketing strategy to encourage sales and consumption. This article presents findings of semi-structured individual (N = 43) and group (N = 9) interviews with 78 women living in the UK that aimed to gain insight into their attitudes towards calorie-based alcohol brand marketing, and alcohol calorie labelling (ACL) as a health policy.

Food environment research in Canada: a rapid review of methodologies and measures deployed between 2010 and 2021.

Numerous research methodologies have been used to examine food environments. Existing reviews synthesizing food environment measures have examined a limited number of domains or settings and none have specifically targeted Canada. This rapid review aimed to 1) map research methodologies and measures that have been used to assess food environments; 2) examine what food environment dimensions and equity related-factors have been assessed; and 3) identify research gaps and priorities to guide future research.

The relationship between parent's self-reported exposure to food marketing and child and parental purchasing and consumption outcomes in five countries: findings from the International Food Policy Study.

Food and beverage marketing influences children's food preferences and dietary intake. Children's diets are also heavily influenced by their family environment. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between parent's self-reported exposure to unhealthy food marketing and a range of outcomes related to children's desire for and intake of unhealthy foods and beverages.

Public support for food policies in Mexican adults: Findings from the International Food Policy Study, 2017-2021.

Deaths attributable to unhealthful eating underscore the need to improve dietary patterns through upstream, policy-led solutions. The approval and successful implementation of food policies is partly determined by their public acceptance. Little is known about public support for food policies in Mexico.

Protecting traditional cultural food practices: Trends in diet quality and intake of ultra-processed foods by Indigenous status and race/ethnicity among a nationally representative sample of adults in Canada.

Background: The traditional cultural food practices of Indigenous people and adults from racial/ethnic minority groups may be eroded in the current food system where nutrient-poor and ultra-processed foods (UPF) are the most affordable and normative options, and where experiences of racism may promote unhealthy dietary patterns. We quantified absolute and relative gaps in diet quality and UPF intake of a nationally representative sample of adults in Canada by Indigenous status and race/ethnicity, and trends between 2004 and 2015.

Methods: Adults (≥18 years) in the Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition self-reported Indigenous status and race/ethnicity and completed a 24-h dietary recall in 2004 (n = 20,880) or 2015 (n = 13,970) to calculate Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores from 0 to 100 and proportion of energy from UPF.

A multi-country comparison of jurisdictions with and without mandatory nutrition labelling policies in restaurants: analysis of behaviours associated with menu labelling in the 2019 International Food Policy Study.

Objective: To examine differences in noticing and use of nutrition information comparing jurisdictions with and without mandatory menu labelling policies and examine differences among sociodemographic groups.

Design: Cross-sectional data from the International Food Policy Study (IFPS) online survey.

Setting: IFPS participants from Australia, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and USA in 2019.

The impact of fast food marketing on brand preferences and fast food intake of youth aged 10-17 across six countries.

Background: Consumption of fast food, which is associated with poor diet, weight gain and the development of noncommunicable diseases, is high amongst youth. Fast food marketing, a modifiable determinant of excess weight and obesity, affects youth's food-related behaviours. This study aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to fast food marketing and the fast food brand preferences and intake amongst youth aged 10-17 across six countries.

Availability of calorie information on online food delivery service platforms among major chain restaurants in Canadian provinces with different calorie labelling policies.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the availability of calorie labelling on major online food delivery (OFD) platforms for the largest restaurant brands in Canada to examine differences in provinces with and those without mandatory calorie labelling regulations.

Methods: Data were collected for the 13 largest restaurant brands with locations in Ontario (with mandatory menu labelling) and Alberta and Quebec (with no mandatory menu labelling) from the web applications of the three largest OFD platforms in Canada. Data were sampled from three selected restaurant locations within each province (n = 117 locations across all provinces) on each platform.