Potential for healthy eating in a Brazilian public university food environment
Keywords:
Collective feeding, Feeding behavior, Food services, UniversitiesAbstract
Objective
To identify the food environment healthy eating potential in the authorized food services on the campus of a Brazilian university.
Methods
This is an observational study carried out between March and April 2014 on a campus of a public university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The elements of the food environment were evaluated using an audit instrument, containing 86 questions: availability (amount of food services and types of food offered), convenience (days and hours of operation), incentives and barriers to healthy eating (nutrition information, payment strategies and food advertisements). Preparations based on whole grains and fresh or minimally processed products were considered healthy foods; and, preparations with high caloric density, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, desserts, cookies, and savory snacks were considered unhealthy food. The questionnaire allowed us to calculate a score for each service, which could range from 0 to 36 points, and indicates the potential for promoting healthy eating in the establishment, with higher scores indicating a greater presence of elements that contribute to healthy eating. The different types of food service facilities were compared based on the scores (p<0.05 for statistical significance).
Results
Among the establishments evaluated, 24% were snack bars/cafeterias, 26%, restaurants, and 50% offered mixed services. Healthy food items were scarcely available in the establishments fruits: 24%; vegetables: 20%; brown rice: 15%); while added-sugar beverages (98%), sweets and treats (76%) were widely offered. There was a higher frequency of advertising encouraging consumption of unhealthy items than that aimed at healthy foods (44% vs 30%). In general, the score was 13,2 points (SD=3.3) and the mean score for snack bars/cafeterias (9.3 points) was lower (p<0,05) than that of restaurants and mixed establishments (14,4 points).
Conclusion
On the campus assessed, the food environment had limited potential for healthy eating, since elements that did not favor healthy food choices were more frequent.
References
Turner C, Aggarwal A, Walls H, Herforth A, Drewnowski A, Coates J, et al. Concepts and critical perspectives for food environment research: a global framework with implications for action in low - and middle-income countries. Glob Food Sec. 2018;18:93-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2018.08.003
Swinburn B, Sacks G, Vandevijvere S, Kumanyika S, Lobstein T, Neal B, et al. INFORMAS [International Network for Food and Obesity/non-communicable diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support]: Overview and key principles. Obes Rev. 2013;14(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12087
Glanz K, Sallis JF, Saelens BE, Frank LD. Healthy nutrition environments: concepts and measures. Am J Heal Promot. 2005;19(5):330-3. https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-19.5.330
Gálvez Espinoza P, Egaña D, Masferrer D, Cerda R. Propuesta de un modelo conceptual para el estudio de los ambientes alimentarios en Chile. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2017;41:1-9. https://doi.org/10.26633/rpsp.2017.169
Food and Agriculture Organization. School Food and Nutrition Framework. Rome: Organization; 2019 [cited 2021 Aug 17]. Available from: http://www.fao.org/3/ca4091en/ca4091en.pdf
Franco ADS, De Castro IRR, Wolkoff DB. Impact of the promotion of fruit and vegetables on their consumption in the workplace. Rev Saude Publica. 2013;47(1):29-36. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102013000100005
Ministério da Saúde (Brasil). Guia Alimentar para a População Brasileira. 2nd ed. Brasília: Ministério; 2014 [cited 2021 Aug 17]. Available from: https://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/guia_alimentar_populacao_brasileira_2ed.pdf
Roy R, Rangan A, Hebden L, Yu Louie JC, Tang LM, Kay J, et al. Dietary contribution of foods and beverages sold within a university campus and its effect on diet quality of young adults. Nutrition. 2017;34:118-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2016.09.013
Barbosa RMS, Henriques P, Guerra H, Emerentino J, Soares D, Dias P, et al. Food environment of a brazilian public university: challenges to promote healthy eating. Rev Chil Nutr. 2020;47(3):443-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0717-75182020000300443
Roy R, Soo D, Conroy D, Wall CR, Swinburn B. Exploring university food environment and on-campus food purchasing behaviors, preferences, and opinions. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2019;51(7):865-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2019.03.003
Pulz IS, Martins PA, Feldman C, Veiros MB. Are campus food environments healthy? A novel perspective for qualitatively evaluating the nutritional quality of food sold at food service facilities at a Brazilian university. Perspect Public Health. 2017;137(2):122-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757913916636414
Saelens BE, Glanz K, Sallis JF, Frank LD. Nutrition Environment Measures Study in Restaurants [NEMS-R]. Development and evaluation. Am J Prev Med. 2007;32(4):273-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2006.12.022
Roy R, Hebden L, Kelly B, De Gois T, Ferrone EM, Samrout M, et al. Description, measurement and evaluation of tertiary-education food environments. Br J Nutr. 2016;115(9):1598-606. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114516000568
Tam R, Yassa B, Parker H, O’Connor H, Allman-Farinelli M. University students’ on-campus food purchasing behaviors, preferences, and opinions on food availability. Nutrition. 2017;37:7-13.
Bárbara R, Ferreira-Pêgo C. Changes in Eating Habits among Displaced and Non-Displaced University Students. Int J Environ Res Public Heal. 2020;17(15):5369. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH17155369
Sok S, Pal K, Tuot S, Yi R, Chhoun P, Yi S. Health behaviors among male and female university students in Cambodia: a cross-sectional survey. J Environ Public Health. 2020;2020:1-10. https://doi. org/10.1155/2020/6740236
Abdelhafez AI, Akhter F, Alsultan AA, Jalal SM, Ali A. Dietary practices and barriers to adherence to healthy eating among King Faisal University students. Int J Environ Res Public Heal. 2020;17(23):8945. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH17238945
Sprake EF, Russell JM, Cecil JE, Cooper RJ, Grabowski P, Pourshahidi LK, et al. Dietary patterns of university students in the UK: a cross-sectional study. Nutr J. 2018;17(90):1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-018- 0398-y
Horacek T, Yildirim ED, Kattelmann K, Byrd-Bredbenner C, Brown O, Colby S, et al. Multilevel structural equation modeling of students’ dietary intentions/behaviors, BMI, and the healthfulness of convenience stores. Nutrients. 2018;10(11):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10111569
Oliveira AS, Rezende AAA, Calábria LK. Sobrepeso e seus fatores de risco em estudantes universitarios durante o curso de graduação. RBONE. 2020;14(85):207-15.
Ministério da Saúde (Brasil). Vigitel Brasil 2018 – vigilância de fatores de risco e proteção para doenças crônicas por inquérito telefônico: estimativas sobre frequência e distribuição sociodemográfica de fatores de risco e proteção para doenças crônicas nas capitais dos 26 estados brasileiros e no distrito Federal em 2018. Brasília: Ministério; 2019 [cited 2021 Aug 17]. Available from: https://www.gov.br/saude/pt-br/centrais-de-conteudo/publicacoes/publicacoes-svs/vigitel/vigitel-brasil-2018.pdf/view
Bernardo GL, Jomori MM, Fernandes AC, Proença RPC. Consumo alimentar de estudantes universitários. Rev Nutr. 2017;30(6):847-65. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-98652017000600016
Perez PMP, Castro IRR, Franco AS, Bandoni DH, Wolkoff DB. Práticas alimentares de estudantes cotistas e não cotistas de uma universidade pública Brasileira. Cienc Saude Coletiva. 2016;21(2):531-42. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232015212.01732015
Alves ALS, Bombarda TM, Graeff DB, Bervian J, Doring M, Gonçalves CBC, et al. Caracaterísticas do consumo alimentar de funcionários e professores de uma universidade comunitária. Arq Cienc Saude. 2017;24(4):42-6. https://doi.org/10.17696/2318-3691.24.4.2017.761
Pinotti SCS, Mezadri T, Lacerda LLV, Grillo LP. Fatores de risco e proteção para doenças crônicas não transmissíveis em professores universitários. RBONE. 2019;13(79):426-33.
Alves IA, Lomiento RM, Lopes TS, Carvalho DA, Rego ALV, Monteiro LS, et al. Padrões alimentares e qualidade de vida de docentes universitários. Cad Saude Colet. [in press].
Franco AS, Canella DS, Perez PMP, Bandoni DH, Castro IRR. University food environment: characterization and changes from 2011 to 2016 in a Brazilian public university. Rev Nutr. 2020;33:1-9. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-9865202033e200058
Tavares L, Perez P, Passos M, Castro Junior P, Silva Franco A, Oliveira Cardoso L, et al. Development and Application of healthiness indicators for commercial establishments that sell foods for immediate consumption. Foods. 2021;10(6):1434. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10061434
Story M, Kaphingst KM, Robinson-O’Brien R, Glanz K. Creating healthy food and eating environments: policy and environmental approaches. Annu Rev Public Health. 2008;29:253-72. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.29.020907.090926
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro [Internet]. Rio de Janeiro: UFRJ; c2023 [cited 2021 Mar 2]. Available from: https://ufrj.br/acesso-a-informacao/institucional/fatos-e-numeros/#:~:text=100milpessoascirculamdiariamente,emengenhariadaAméricaLatina.
Rodrigues CB, Monteiro LS, Paula NM, Pereira RA. Ambiente alimentar em um campus universitário: desenvolvimento e análise de instrumento para avaliação de estabelecimentos comerciais. Demetra. 2021;16:51139. https://doi.org/10.12957/demetra.2021.51139
Downs S, Demmler KM. Food environment interventions targeting children and adolescents: a scoping review. Glob Food Sec. 2020;27:100403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100403
Martinez-Perez N, Torheim LE, Castro-Díaz N, Arroyo-Izaga M. On-campus food environment, purchase behaviours, preferences and opinions in a Norwegian university community. Public Health Nutr. 2021;1-12. https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898002100272X
Cardozo M, Santos CRB, Nascimento HS, Santos IPG. Ambientes alimentares universitários: percepções de estudantes de nutrição de uma instituição de ensino superior. Demetra. 2017;12(2):431-45. https://doi.org/10.12957/DEMETRA.2017.26799
Dhillon J, Diaz Rios LK, Aldaz KJ, De La Cruz N, Vu E, Asad Asghar S, et al. We don’t have a lot of healthy options: food environment perceptions of first-year, minority college students attending a food desert campus. Nutrients. 2019;11(4):816. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040816
Lima JPM, Costa SA, Brandão TRS, Rocha A. Food consumption determinants and barriers for healthy eating at the Workplace-A University Setting. Foods. 2021;10(695):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10040695
Castro IRR, Canella DS. Organizational food environments: advancing their conceptual model. Foods. 2022;11(7):993. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11070993
Shi Y, Wang Q, Norman C, Allman-Farinelli M, Colagiuri S. It is time to make policy for healthier food environments in Australian universities. Nutrients. 2018;10(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10121909
Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira. Censo da Educação Superior: 2010 – resumo técnico. Brasília: Instituto; 2012 [cited 2021 Aug 15]. Available from: https://download.inep.gov.br/download/superior/censo/2010/resumo_tecnico_censo_educacao_superior_2010.pdf
Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio. Resumo técnico do Censo da Educação Superior 2019. Brasília: Instituto; 2021 [cited 2021 Aug 15]. Available from: https://download.inep.gov.br/publicacoes/institucionais/estatisticas_e_indicadores/resumo_tecnico_censo_da_educacao_superior_2019.pdf
Fonseca LB, Pereira LP, Rodrigues PRM, Andrade ACS, Muraro AP, Gorgulho BM, et al. Food consumption on campus is associated with meal eating patterns among college students. Br J Nutr. 2021;126(1):53-65. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114520003761
Turner C, Kadiyala S, Aggarwal A, Coates J, Drewnowski A, Hawkes C, et al. Concepts and methods for food environment research in low and middle income countries. London: Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Food Environments Working Group; 2017.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Camila Batista RODRIGUES, Luana Silva MONTEIRO, Nilma Morcerf de PAULA, Rosangela Alves PEREIRA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.