The association between diet quality and chrononutritional patterns in young adults.

Purpose: Young adults eat erratically and later in the day which may impact weight and cardiometabolic health. This cross-sectional study examined relationships between chrononutritional patterns and diet quality in two young adult populations: a university and community sample.

Methods: Three days of dietary data were collected including food images captured using wearable cameras.

Snacking Behaviours of Australian Young Adults: Secondary Analysis of the MYMeals Cross-Sectional Study.

Snacking outside main meals may contribute to the high intakes of discretionary foods (i.e., unhealthful foods) among young adults.

Falling through the cracks: How do policies for alcohol marketing apply to zero alcohol products in Australia?

Issues: There is a decline in youth drinking, but also a causal link between alcohol marketing and drinking among young people. Therefore, novel alcohol marketing strategies should be scrutinised, particularly where children are exposed. This includes marketing for zero-alcohol products (ZAP) (containing 0.

The energy density of meals and snacks consumed by young Australian adults (18-30 years old) are influenced by preparation location but not screen use nor social interactions: findings from the MYMeals wearable camera study.

The present study examined the association of contextual factors (social and food preparation location) with the energy density of meals and snacks consumed in a sample of young Australian adults (18-30 years old) identified using wearable camera technology. Over three consecutive days, a subsample of young adults wore a wearable camera that captured images in 30 s intervals. Eating episodes from 133 participants were annotated for preparation location and social context (covering social interaction and screen use).

Wearable Cameras Reveal Large Intra-Individual Variability in Timing of Eating among Young Adults.

Studies have shown that young adults follow less structured eating patterns compared with older cohorts. This may have implications for dietary assessment methods which rely on memory and structured meal patterns. Our aim was to describe the intra-individual variation of eating times in young adults aged 18−30 years.

The Contribution of Nutrients of Concern to the Diets of 18-to-30-Year-Old Australians from Food Prepared Outside Home Differs by Food Outlet Types: The MYMeals Cross-Sectional Study.

Young adults are frequent consumers of food prepared outside the home (FOH). In a cross-sectional survey, the MYMeals study, we showed FOH provided one-third of meals and snacks for young Australian adults, yet it contributed higher proportions of energy and nutrients of concern, such as saturated fat and sodium. This study aimed to determine the detailed proportional contribution of nutrients of concern from the nine food outlet types captured in the MYMeals study.

The association of social and food preparation location context with the quality of meals and snacks consumed by young adults: findings from the MYMeals wearable camera study.

Purpose: This study examined the association of social contexts and food preparation location with the quality of meals and snacks (predominately from the five food groups (FFG) versus discretionary foods) in a sample of young Australian adults (18-30 years old) using wearable camera technology.

Methods: A sub-sample from the cross-sectional MYMeals study wore a wearable camera that captured images every 30 s for three consecutive days. Eating episodes from 133 participants (55% female) were classified across 4 domains: food quality (observed proportion of FFG and discretionary items), preparation location, social interaction, and screen use.

Perceptions of adequacy of fruit and vegetable intake as a barrier to increasing consumption.

Aim: To investigate New South Wales adults' perceived adequacy of their fruit and vegetable consumption and to identify the barriers to consumption.

Method: An online cross-sectional survey of a sample of adults in New South Wales (n = 1603) in February 2019 measured self-reported fruit and vegetable intakes, perception of consumption adequacy and barriers to consumption. Proportions of participants whose reported consumption met the daily recommended serves of fruit and vegetables per day were calculated.

Using Wearable Cameras to Assess Foods and Beverages Omitted in 24 Hour Dietary Recalls and a Text Entry Food Record App.

Technology-enhanced methods of dietary assessment may still face common limitations of self-report. This study aimed to assess foods and beverages omitted when both a 24 h recall and a smartphone app were used to assess dietary intake compared with camera images. For three consecutive days, young adults (18-30 years) wore an Autographer camera that took point-of-view images every 30 seconds.

The Contribution of Foods Prepared Outside the Home to the Diets of 18- to 30-Year-Old Australians: The MYMeals Study.

Young adults are the highest consumers of food prepared outside home (FOH) and gain most weight among Australian adults. One strategy to address the obesogenic food environment is menu labelling legislation whereby outlets with >20 stores in one state and >50 Australia-wide must display energy content in kJ. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of FOH to the energy and macronutrients, saturated fat, total sugars and sodium intakes of young Australians.

Contribution of foods prepared away from home to intakes of energy and nutrients of public health concern in adults: a systematic review.

A 2011 review associated eating out with increased energy intake. Popular outlets, nutrient composition, and menus may have changed since 2011. This study aimed to investigate relative contributions of foods prepared outside of home to total energy, total and saturated fat, sugars, and sodium intakes.

Changes in nutrition content and health claims post-implementation of regulation in Australia.

Objective: To determine whether there were changes in the prevalence or healthiness of products carrying claims post-implementation of Standard 1.2.7: Nutrition, Health and Related Claims in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

Validity of self-reported weight and height for BMI classification: A cross-sectional study among young adults.

Objective: The aim of this study was to validate self-reported anthropometric measurements and body mass index (BMI) classifications in a young adult population.

Methods: Both self-reported and directly measured weight and height of 100 young adults 18 to 30 y of age were collected. Participants were measured at one of two university clinics by two research dietitians and within 2 wk self-reported their body weight and height via a questionnaire as part of a larger study.

The Role of Supportive Food Environments to Enable Healthier Choices When Eating Meals Prepared Outside the Home: Findings from Focus Groups of 18 to 30-Year-Olds.

Young adults are the highest consumers of food prepared outside home, which has been linked to weight gain. The aim of this qualitative research was to gather opinions from young adults about what influences their food choice when eating out and if they so desired, what might enable healthy choices. Thirty-one adults aged 18 to 30 years participated in four focus groups (females = 24).

Nutrient composition of Australian fast-food and fast-casual children's meals available in 2016 and changes in fast-food meals between 2010 and 2016.

Objective: A quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese. Research conducted in 2010 found that fast-food children's meals were energy-dense and nutrient-poor. Since then, menu labelling and self-regulation of marketing have been introduced in Australia.

Comparison between serving sizes of cakes and muffins sold in Australian supermarkets and coffee shop chains.

Aim: Cakes and muffins are commonly consumed discretionary foods that have increased significantly in portion size over the past decades. The present study aimed to (i) investigate serving sizes and energy per serving of cakes and muffins sold in supermarkets and coffee chains, (ii) compare to standard discretionary serves and (iii) propose feasible and appropriate serving size recommendations.

Methods: Serving sizes and energy content of cakes and muffins were collected from four major Australian supermarkets (n = 219) and eight coffee chains (n = 248) between March and April 2017 and classified into eight categories and compared using Mann-Whitney tests.

Relative Validity of the Eat and Track (EaT) Smartphone App for Collection of Dietary Intake Data in 18-to-30-Year Olds.

(1) Background: Smartphone dietary assessment apps can be acceptable and valid data collection methods but have predominantly been validated in highly educated women, and none specifically measured eating-out habits in young adults. (2) Methods: Participants recorded their food and beverage consumption for three days using the Eat and Track (EaT) app, and intakes were compared with three dietitian-administered 24-h recall interviews matched to the same days as the reference method. Wilcoxon signed-rank or -tests, correlation coefficients and Bland⁻Altman plots assessed agreement between the two methods for energy and percentage energy from nutrients (%E).

How effective is food industry self-substantiation of food-health relationships underpinning health claims on food labels in Australia?

Objective: The Food Standards Code regulates health claims on Australian food labels. General-level health claims highlight food-health relationships, e.g.

A Virtual Reality Food Court to Study Meal Choices in Youth: Design and Assessment of Usability.

Background: Regular consumption of take-out and fast foods with sugary drinks is associated with poor quality diets and higher prevalence of obesity. Among the settings where such food is consumed is the food court typically found in shopping malls prominent in many countries.

Objective: The objective of this research was to develop a virtual reality food court that could be used to test food environmental interventions, such as taxation, and ultimately to facilitate the selection of healthier food choices.

A Tool to Measure Young Adults' Food Intake: Design and Development of an Australian Database of Foods for the Eat and Track Smartphone App.

Background: Dietary assessment is reliant on the collection of accurate food and beverage consumption data. Technology has been harnessed to standardize recording and provide automatic nutritional analysis to reduce cost and researcher burden.

Objective: To better assess the diet of young adults, especially relating to the contribution of foods prepared outside the home, a database was needed to support a mobile phone data collection app.

Examining the Frequency and Contribution of Foods Eaten Away From Home in the Diets of 18- to 30-Year-Old Australians Using Smartphone Dietary Assessment (MYMeals): Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Young Australians aged between 18 and 30 years have experienced the largest increase in the body mass index and spend the largest proportion of their food budget on fast food and eating out. Frequent consumption of foods purchased and eaten away from home has been linked to poorer diet quality and weight gain. There has been no Australian research regarding quantities, type, or the frequency of consumption of food prepared outside the home by young adults and its impact on their energy and nutrient intakes.

Monitoring the changes to the nutrient composition of fast foods following the introduction of menu labelling in New South Wales, Australia: an observational study.

Objective: The present study examined the energy (kilojoule) content of Australian fast-food menu items over seven years, before and after introduction of menu board labelling, to determine the impact of the introduction of the legislation.

Design: Analysis of the median energy contents per serving and per 100g of fast-food menu items. Change in energy content of menu items across the years surveyed and differences in energy content of standard and limited-time only menu items were analysed.

A comparison of the Health Star Rating system when used for restaurant fast foods and packaged foods.

Background: In June 2014, the Australian government agreed to the voluntary implementation of an interpretive 'Health Star Rating' (HSR) front-of-pack labelling system for packaged foods. The aim of the system is to make it easier for consumers to compare the healthiness of products based on number of stars. With many Australians consuming fast food there is a strong rationale for extending the HSR system to include fast food items.