Increasing Children's Vegetable Consumption: Translating a Review of the Evidence Base to Develop Best Practice Guidelines.

Introduction: Dietary guidelines worldwide emphasize the importance of consuming vegetables as part of a healthy diet. Despite this, translating this information into messages for consumers that change behavior has been difficult. There have been population-level social marketing campaigns as well as several smaller campaigns directed specifically toward children, which have demonstrated small increases in consumption.

Evaluation of a long day care intervention targeting the mealtime environment and curriculum to increase children's vegetable intake: a cluster randomised controlled trial using the multiphase optimisation strategy framework.

Objective: To determine the reach, adoption, implementation and effectiveness of an intervention to increase children's vegetable intake in long day care (LDC).

Design: A 12-week pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial, informed by the multiphase optimisation strategy (MOST), targeting the mealtime environment and curriculum. Children's vegetable intake and variety was measured at follow-up using a modified Short Food Survey for early childhood education and care and analysed using a two-part mixed model for non-vegetable and vegetable consumers.

Predictors of Free Sugars Intake Trajectories across Early Childhood-Results from the SMILE Birth Cohort Study.

Foods and beverages high in free sugars can displace healthier choices and increase the risk of weight gain, dental caries, and noncommunicable diseases. Little is known about the intake of free sugars across early childhood. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal intake from 1 to 5 years of free sugars and identify the independent maternal and child-related predictors of intake in a cohort of Australian children participating in the Study of Mothers' and Infants' Life Events Affecting Oral Health (SMILE).

Development and internal validation of the SMILE-FSS: a Free Sugars Screener for Australian children aged 2 and 5 years.

Objective: To develop and internally validate a Free Sugars Screener (FSS) for Australian children aged 2 and 5 years.

Design: Using data collected from a ninety-nine-item (2-year-olds) and ninety-eight-item (5-year-olds) FFQ in the Study of Mothers' and Infants' Life Events affecting oral health (SMILE-FFQ), a regression-based prediction modelling approach was employed to identify a subset of items that accurately estimate total free sugars intake (FSI). The predictors were grams of free sugars (FSg) for individual items in the SMILE-FFQ and child's age and sex.

Evaluation of a menu box delivery service for Australian long-day care services to improve food provision and child intake: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a menu box delivery service tailored to the long-day care (LDC) setting on improving menu compliance with recommendations, children's diet quality and dietary intake while in care.

Design: A cluster randomised controlled trial in LDC centres randomly assigned to an intervention (menu box delivery) or comparison (menu planning training) group. The primary outcome was child food provision and dietary intake.

Development of an initiatives package to increase children's vegetable intake in long day care centres using the Multiphase Optimisation Strategy (MOST) randomised factorial experiment.

Objective: To inform a package of initiatives to increase children's vegetable intake while in long day care (LDC) by evaluating the independent and combined effects of three initiatives targeting food provision, the mealtime environment and the curriculum.

Design: Using the Multiphase Optimisation Strategy (MOST) framework, a 12-week, eight-condition ( 7 intervention, 1 control) randomised factorial experiment was conducted. Children's dietary intake data were measured pre- and post-initiative implementation using the weighed plate waste method (1× meal and 2× between-meal snacks).

Trajectories of child free sugars intake and dental caries - a population-based birth cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate the association between trajectories of free sugars intake during the first five years of life and dental caries experience at five years.

Methods: Data from the SMILE population-based prospective birth cohort study, collected at one, two and five years old, were used. A 3-days dietary diary and food frequency questionnaire were used to estimate free sugars intake (FSI) in grams.

Parental work hours and household income as determinants of unhealthy food and beverage intake in young Australian children.

Objective: This study examined parental work hours and household income as determinants of discretionary (energy-dense, nutrient-poor) food and beverage intake in young children, including differences by eating occasion.

Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. Three hierarchical regression models were conducted with percentage of energy from discretionary food and beverages across the day, at main meals and at snack times being the outcomes.

Identifying opportunities for strengthening advice to enhance vegetable liking in the early years of life: qualitative consensus and triangulation methods.

Objective: To prioritise and refine a set of evidence-informed statements into advice messages to promote vegetable liking in early childhood, and to determine applicability for dissemination of advice to relevant audiences.

Design: A nominal group technique (NGT) workshop and a Delphi survey were conducted to prioritise and achieve consensus (≥70 % agreement) on thirty evidence-informed maternal (perinatal and lactation stage), infant (complementary feeding stage) and early years (family diet stage) vegetable-related advice messages. Messages were validated via triangulation analysis against the strength of evidence from an Umbrella review of strategies to increase children's vegetable liking, and gaps in advice from a Desktop review of vegetable feeding advice.

Supporting strategies for enhancing vegetable liking in the early years of life: an umbrella review of systematic reviews.

Background: Many children worldwide do not eat recommended amounts of vegetables. Disliking vegetables is a key factor associated with low intake.

Objective: This umbrella review synthesized systematic reviews to determine the effectiveness of sensory and behavioral strategies to facilitate liking of vegetables (primary outcome) in young children up to 5 y of age, as key predictors of vegetable intake (secondary outcome).

Study of Mothers' and Infants' Life Events Affecting Oral Health (SMILE) birth cohort study: cohort profile.

Purpose: The long-term goal of the Study of Mothers' and Infants' Life Events Affecting Oral Health (SMILE) birth cohort study is to identify and evaluate the relative importance and timing of critical factors that shape the oral health of young children. It will then evaluate those factors in their inter-relationship with socioeconomic influences.

Participants: SMILE is a single-centre study conducted in Adelaide, Australia.

Are meal kits health promoting? Nutritional analysis of meals from an Australian meal kit service.

Summary: Meal kits are popular for consumers seeking greater convenience in preparing meals at home. The market share for meal kit subscription services (MKSSs) is growing in developed nations including Australia, however, literature about their health promoting qualities, e.g.

Dietary Patterns and Risk of Obesity and Early Childhood Caries in Australian Toddlers: Findings from an Australian Cohort Study.

We examined associations between dietary patterns at 12 months, characterised using multiple methodologies, and risk of obesity and early childhood caries (ECC) at 24-36 months. Participants were Australian toddlers (n = 1170) from the Study of Mothers' and Infants' Life Events affecting oral health (SMILE) birth cohort. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and the Dietary Guideline Index for Children and Adolescents (DGI-CA) were applied to dietary intake data (1, 2 or 3-days) at 12 months, and regression analysis used to examine associations of dietary patterns with body mass index -score and presence of ECC at 24-36 months.

A Digital Intervention for Australian Adolescents Above a Healthy Weight (Health Online for Teens): Protocol for an Implementation and User Experience Study.

Background: More than one-fourth of Australian adolescents are overweight or obese, with obesity in adolescents strongly persisting into adulthood. Recent evidence suggests that the mid-teen years present a final window of opportunity to prevent irreversible damage to the cardiovascular system. As lifestyle behaviors may change with increased autonomy during adolescence, this life stage is an ideal time to intervene and promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors, well-being, and self-esteem.

Feasibility of a Group-Based, Facilitator-Directed Online Family Lifestyle Program.

Objective: This study aimed to overcome barriers to access and attendance, and improve recruitment and engagement, through delivery and evaluation of the Parenting, Eating and Activity for Child Health (PEACH) child weight management program, as a facilitated group-based online healthy lifestyle program, PEACH Lifestyle.

Methods: Pre-post feasibility study of an online intervention comprising a website with 10 self-directed learning modules and 6 facilitated group-based video conferencing sessions with parents (n = 79) of children (7.9 ± 2.

Weight status and diets of children aged 1-12 years attending a tertiary public paediatric outpatient clinic.

Aim: To assess the weight status and diets of a sample of paediatric outpatients, explore the relationship between the two and compare child weight status with parental perception of child weight and parents' self-reported weight.

Methods: Parents/carers of 1-12-year-olds attending paediatric outpatients at Flinders Medical Centre, South Australia, between October 2015 and May 2016 completed a demographic and validated age-based dietary questionnaire (toddlers (1-3 years), pre-schoolers (>3 to <5 years) or children (5-12 years)). Dietary risk scores (low/moderate/high/very high) were calculated for toddlers and pre-schoolers and diet quality and food behaviours scores for children.

Mobile Apps to Support Healthy Family Food Provision: Systematic Assessment of Popular, Commercially Available Apps.

Background: Modern families are facing conflicting demands on their time and resources, which may be at the detriment of child and family diet quality. Innovative nutrition interventions providing parents with behavioral support for the provision of healthy food could alleviate this issue. Mobile apps have the potential to deliver such interventions by providing practical behavioral support remotely, interactively, and in context.

Poor dietary patterns at 1-5 years of age are related to food neophobia and breastfeeding duration but not age of introduction to solids in a relatively advantaged sample.

Previous studies have investigated associations between individual foods or food group intake, and breastfeeding duration, age of solid introduction and food neophobia. This study aimed to investigate associations between whole dietary patterns in young children, and breastfeeding duration, age of solid introduction and food neophobia. Parents of children (N = 234) aged 1-5 years completed an online questionnaire.

Exploring Grandparents' Roles in Young Children's Lifestyle Behaviors and the Prevention of Childhood Obesity: An Australian Perspective.

Childhood obesity remains a significant public health issue. Because lifestyle behaviors and weight are established early and track through life stages, prevention strategies must commence in the first years of life. Traditionally, such strategies target parents or formal child care providers.

Contribution of Discretionary Foods and Drinks to Australian Children's Intake of Energy, Saturated Fat, Added Sugars and Salt.

Interventions are required to reduce children's consumption of discretionary foods and drinks. To intervene we need to identify appropriate discretionary choice targets. This study aimed to determine the main discretionary choice contributors to energy and key nutrient intakes in children aged 2-18 years.

The Relationship between Dietary Patterns and Metabolic Health in a Representative Sample of Adult Australians.

Studies assessing dietary intake and its relationship to metabolic phenotype are emerging, but limited. The aims of the study are to identify dietary patterns in Australian adults, and to determine whether these dietary patterns are associated with metabolic phenotype and obesity. Cross-sectional data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 Australian Health Survey was analysed.

Impact of a nutrition award scheme on the food and nutrient intakes of 2- to 4-year-olds attending long day care.

Objective: Early childhood settings are promising avenues to intervene to improve children's nutrition. Previous research has shown that a nutrition award scheme, Start Right - Eat Right (SRER), improves long day care centre policies, menus and eating environments. Whether this translates into improvements in children's dietary intake is unknown.

A short food-group-based dietary questionnaire is reliable and valid for assessing toddlers' dietary risk in relatively advantaged samples.

Identifying toddlers at dietary risk is crucial for determining who requires intervention to improve dietary patterns and reduce health consequences. The objectives of the present study were to develop a simple tool that assesses toddlers' dietary risk and investigate its reliability and validity. The nineteen-item Toddler Dietary Questionnaire (TDQ) is informed by dietary patterns observed in Australian children aged 14 (n 552) and 24 (n 493) months and the Australian dietary guidelines.