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Objective: A randomised controlled trial found no evidence of an impact of a blog written by a registered dietitian (RD) on vegetables and fruit and milk and alternatives (e.g. soya-based beverages, yogurt and cheese) consumption – two food groups included in the 2007 version of the Canadian Food Guide – in mothers and their children compared with a control condition. To investigate these null findings, the current study explored participants' perceptions of engagement with the blog and its influence on their dietary behaviours. Design: Mixed methods process evaluation using a post-intervention satisfaction questionnaire and a content analysis of mothers' comments on the blog (n 213 comments). Setting: French-speaking adult mothers living in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (n 26; response rate = 61·9 % of the total sample randomised to exposure to the blog). Results: Most mothers (n 20/26; 76·9 %) perceived the blog useful to improve their dietary habits – with the most appreciated blog features being nutritional information and healthy recipes and interactions with fellow participants and the RD. Mothers reported several facilitators (e.g. meal planning and involving children in household food activities) and few barriers (e.g. lack of time and children's food preferences) to maternal and child consumption of vegetables and fruit and milk and alternatives. Lack of time was the principal reported barrier affecting blog engagement. Conclusions: The findings from the current study suggest that blogs written by an RD may be an acceptable format of intervention delivery among mothers, but may not alleviate all the barriers to healthy eating and engagement in a dietary intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the associations among eating behaviour traits, food label use and diet quality and to evaluate if the association between eating behaviour traits and diet quality is mediated by food label use.Design: Eating behaviour traits were assessed using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), the Restraint Scale and the Intuitive Eating Scale, whereas food label use was measured with the Label Reading Survey. Diet quality (Canadian Healthy Eating Index) was assessed with an FFQ.Setting: Cross-sectional study.Participants: Adults (n 385; mean (sd): BMI = 26·0 (4·9) kg/m2, age = 41·1 (15·0) years) involved in two previous experimental studies.Results: When controlling for potential covariates, general food label use (β = 1·18 (se 0·26), P < 0·0001) was the main determinant of diet quality, explaining 6·7 % of its variance. General food label use partly mediated the association between TFEQ-cognitive restraint and diet quality; the indirect effect (βindirect (se); 95 % CI) was stronger in men (0·32 (0·10); 0·15, 0·55) than women (0·16 (0·05); 0·08, 0·27). General food label use also partly mediated the negative association between unconditional permission to eat and diet quality; the indirect effect (βindirect (se); 95 % CI) was also stronger in men (-1·88 (0·55); -3·11, -0·96) than women (-1·03 (0·33); -1·81, -0·49).Conclusions: General food label use was the main determinant of diet quality and partly mediated the association between eating behaviour traits and diet quality. The stronger mediating effect observed in men suggests they rely more on food labelling when attempting to restrained themselves, which translates into better diet quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify facilitators and barriers that Health Canada's (HC) cross-sector partners experienced while implementing the Eat Well Campaign: Food Skills (EWC; 2013-2014) and describe how these experiences might differ according to distinct partner types.Design: A qualitative study using hour-long semi-structured telephone interviews conducted with HC partners that were transcribed verbatim. Facilitators and barriers were identified inductively and analysed according partner types.Setting: Implementation of a national mass-media health education campaign.Subjects: Twenty-one of HC's cross-sector partners (food retailers, media and health organizations) engaged in the EWC.Results: Facilitators and barriers were grouped into seven major themes: operational elements, intervention factors, resources, collaborator traits, developer traits, partnership factors and target population factors. Four of these themes had dual roles as both facilitators and barriers (intervention factors, resources, collaborator traits and developer traits). Sub-themes identified as both facilitators and barriers illustrate the extent to which a facilitator can easily become a barrier. Partnership factors were unique facilitators, while operational and target population factors were unique barriers. Time was a barrier that was common to almost all partners regardless of partnership type. There appeared to be a greater degree of uniformity among facilitators, whereas barriers were more diverse and unique to the realities of specific types of partner.Conclusions: Collaborative planning will help public health organizations anticipate barriers unique to the realities of specific types of organizations. It will also prevent facilitators from becoming barriers. Advanced planning will help organizations manage time constraints and integrate activities, facilitating implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To verify the efficacy of school-based interventions aimed at reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among adolescents in order to develop or improve public health interventions.Design: Systematic review of interventions targeting adolescents and/or the school environment.Setting: The following databases were investigated: MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and EMBASE. Proquest Dissertations and Theses was also investigated for unpublished trials.Subjects: Adolescents were defined as individuals between the ages of 12 and 17 years.Results: A total of thirty-six studies detailing thirty-six different interventions tested among independent samples (n 152 001) were included in the review. Twenty interventions were classified as educational/behavioural and ten were classified as legislative/environmental interventions. Only six interventions targeted both individuals and their environment. Over 70 % of all interventions, regardless of whether they targeted individuals, their environment or both, were effective in decreasing SSB consumption. Legislative/environmental studies had the highest success rate (90·0 %). Educational/behavioural interventions only and interventions that combined educational/behavioural and legislative/environmental approaches were almost equally effective in reducing SSB consumption with success rates of 65·0 and 66·7 %, respectively. Among the interventions that had an educational/behavioural component, 61·5 % were theory-based. The behaviour change techniques most frequently used in interventions were providing information about the health consequences of performing the behaviour (72·2 %), restructuring the physical environment (47·2 %), behavioural goal setting (36·1 %), self-monitoring of behaviour (33·3 %), threat to health (30·6 %) and providing general social support (30·6 %).Conclusions: School-based interventions show promising results to reduce SSB consumption among adolescents. A number of recommendations are made to improve future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study aimed to develop and validate a nutrition knowledge questionnaire in a sample of French Canadians from the province of Quebec, taking into account dietary guidelines.Design: A thirty-eight-item questionnaire was developed by the research team and evaluated for content validity by an expert panel, and then administered to respondents. Face validity and construct validity were measured in a pre-test. Exploratory factor analysis and covariance structure analysis were performed to verify the structure of the questionnaire and identify problematic items. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated through a validation study.Setting: Online survey.Subjects: Six nutrition and psychology experts, fifteen registered dietitians (RD) and 180 lay people participated.Results: Content validity evaluation resulted in the removal of two items and reformulation of one item. Following face validity, one item was reformulated. Construct validity was found to be adequate, with higher scores for RD v. non-RD (21·5 (sd 2·1) v. 15·7 (sd 3·0) out of 24, P<0·001). Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the questionnaire contained only one factor. Covariance structure analysis led to removal of sixteen items. Internal consistency for the overall questionnaire was adequate (Cronbach's α=0·73). Assessment of test-retest reliability resulted in significant associations for the total knowledge score (r=0·59, P<0·001).Conclusions: This nutrition knowledge questionnaire was found to be a suitable instrument which can be used to measure levels of nutrition knowledge in a Canadian population. It could also serve as a model for the development of similar instruments in other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]