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  • Comprehensive Nutrition Interventions in First Nation-Operated Schools in Canada
    Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research • Vol. 83 • No. 3 • pp. 128 - 132
    Comprehensive school-based nutrition interventions offer a promising strategy to support healthy eating for First Nations children. A targeted strategic review was performed to identify nutrition interventions in 514 First Nation-operated schools across Canada through their websites. Directed content analysis was used to describe if interventions used 1 or more of the 4 components of the Comprehensive School Health (CSH) framework. Sixty schools had interventions. Nearly all (n = 56, 93%) schools offered breakfast, snack, and (or) lunch programs (social and physical environment). About one-third provided opportunities for students to learn about traditional healthy Indigenous foods and food procurement methods (n = 18, 30%) (teaching and learning) or facilitated connections between the school and students’ families or the community (n = 16, 27%) (partnerships and services). Few schools (n = 10, 17%) had a nutrition policy outlining permitted foods (school policy). Less than 1% (n = 3) of interventions included all 4 CSH components. Results suggest that most First Nation-operated schools provide children with food, but few have nutrition interventions that include multiple CSH components. First Nation-operated schools may require additional financial and (or) logistical support to implement comprehensive school-based nutrition interventions, which have greater potential to support long-term health outcomes for children than single approaches.
  • Gaps in Nutrition Policy Implementation in Childcare Centres in The Edmonton Metropolitan Region: A Cross-Sectional Survey
    Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research • Vol. 83 • No. 1 • pp. 17 - 24
    Purpose: To describe (i) nutrition policies in childcare centres, (ii) the resources and processes used to enable policy implementation, and (iii) the association between policy implementation and childcare centres’ or administrators’ characteristics.Methods: Between October 2018 and June 2019 a web-based survey that addressed nutrition policy, policy implementation, and sociodemographic characteristics was sent to eligible childcare programs (centre-based and provided meals) in the Edmonton (Alberta) metropolitan region. The survey was pretested and pilot tested. Statistical tests examined the relationship between policy implementation with centres’ and administrators’ characteristics.Results: Of 312 childcare centres that received the survey invitation, 43 completed it. The majority of centres had a nutrition policy in place (94%). On average, centres had about 9 of the 17 implementation resources and processes assessed. Most often administrators reported actively encouraging the implementation of the nutrition policy (n = 35; 87%) and least often writing evaluation reports of the implementation of the nutrition policy (n = 9; 22%). Administrator’s education level was associated with implementation total score (p = 0.009; Kruskal-Wallis).Conclusion: Most childcare centres had a nutrition policy in place, but many lacked resources and processes to enable policy implementation. Additional support is required to improve nutrition policy development and implementation.
  • The Impact of School Gardening on Cree Children's Knowledge and Attitudes toward Vegetables and Fruit
    Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research • Vol. 76 • No. 3 • pp. 133 - 139
    Purpose: School-based interventions may increase children's preferences for vegetables and fruit (V&F). This Canadian study measured changes in Indigenous First Nations schoolchildren's V&F knowledge, preferences, and home consumption following the implementation of a gardening and V&F snack program.Methods: At baseline, 7 months, and 18 months, children in grades 1–6 (i) listed at least 5 V&F they knew, (ii) tasted and indicated their preferences towards 9 vegetables and 8 fruit using a 6-point Likert scale, and (iii) indicated their home consumption of 17 V&F.Results: At all 3 time points, 56.8% (n = 66/116) of children provided data. Children listed a greater number of V&F at 18 months (4.9 ± 0.1) than at baseline (4.5 ± 1.0) or 7 months (4.7 ± .07) (F(1.6,105.6) = 6.225, P < 0.05). Vegetable preferences became more positive between baseline (37.9 ± 9.3) and 7 months (39.9 ± 9.2), but returned to baseline levels at 18 months (37.3 ± 8.7) (F(1.6,105.8) = 4.581, P < 0.05). Fruit preferences at 18 months (42.7 ± 3.0) were greater than at baseline (41.1 ± 4.3) and at 7 months (41.9 ± 5.1) (F(1.7,113.3) = 3.409, P < 0.05). No change in V&F consumption occurred at home.Conclusions: Despite improvements in V&F knowledge and preferences, home consumption of V&F did not occur. Complementing school-based programs with home-based components may be needed to influence V&F intake of children.
  • Fruit and Vegetable Preferences and Intake: Among Children in Alberta
    Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research • Vol. 74 • No. 1 • pp. 21 - 27
    Purpose: The association between preference for and intake of fruits and vegetables was examined among Albertan children. Methods: Data used were collected as part of a provincial population-based survey among grade 5 children in Alberta. Intake of two fruits and five vegetables was assessed using the Harvard food frequency questionnaire, and preference for individual fruit and vegetable items was rated using a three-point Likert-type scale. Random effects models with children nested within schools were used to test for associations between fruit and vegetable preference and intake. Results: A total of 3398 children aged 10 to 11 years returned completed surveys. Children who reported a greater liking for fruits and vegetables also reported significantly (p<0.001) higher intake. On average, children who liked a food a lot ate 0.5 to 2.7 more weekly servings of the food than did children who did not like the food. Conclusions: These findings suggest that focusing on interventions designed to increase taste preference may lead to increased fruit and vegetable intake among children. Introducing children to unfamiliar fruits and vegetables through taste testing may be an effective and practical health promotion approach for improving dietary habits.
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