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IntroductionThis qualitative study investigates children’s perceptions of the influences of a Centrally Procured School Food Program on their dietary behaviours and their recommendations on how to improve the program. MethodsThe observations of 208 students aged 9 to 14 years (Grades 5¬–8) at 21 elementary schools were collected through focus groups in 2017/18. The larger intervention consisted of a 10-week program offering daily snacks (i.e. fruit, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, meat alternatives) for elementary school children in southwestern Ontario, Canada. ResultsThe participants’ overall impressions of the program were positive. They noted reduced hunger, increased energy and improved nutrition. Many children felt that the program changed their dietary patterns at home as well as at school, particularly in terms of eating more fruit and vegetables. The snack program also enabled children to try healthy foods. ConclusionMost participants considered the program to be beneficial in promoting healthy eating. Participants recommended adding educational activities, expanding the variety of foods and increasing child involvement in selecting and preparing foods.

IntroductionCette étude qualitative s’intéresse à la perception qu’ont les enfants de l’influence d’un programme d’alimentation scolaire à approvisionnement centralisé sur leurs comportements alimentaires et à leurs recommandations sur la manière d’améliorer le programme. MéthodologieLes observations de 208 élèves de 9 à 14 ans (de la 5e à la 8e année) provenant de 21 écoles primaires ont été recueillies au moyen de groupes de discussion en 2017 et 2018. L’intervention la plus importante a consisté en un programme de dix semaines proposant des collations quotidiennes (fruits, légumes, aliments à grains entiers, produits laitiers, substituts de viande) à des élèves d’écoles primaires du Sud-Ouest de l’Ontario (Canada). RésultatsDans l’ensemble, les participants ont eu une perception positive du programme. Ils ont constaté un apaisement de leur faim, une augmentation de leur niveau d’énergie et une amélioration de leur alimentation. De nombreux enfants ont estimé que le programme avait modifié leurs habitudes alimentaires à la maison et pas simplement à l’école, car il les avait notamment amenés à accroître leur consommation de fruits et de légumes. De plus, le programme de collations a permis aux enfants d’essayer des aliments sains. ConclusionLa plupart des participants ont estimé que le programme s’avérait bénéfique pour favoriser une alimentation saine. Les participants ont recommandé d’ajouter des activités éducatives, de diversifier les aliments offerts et d’accroître la participation des enfants à la sélection et à la préparation des aliments.

Transportation research has shown that socio‐demographic factors impact people's mobility patterns. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, some of these effects have changed in accordance with changing mobility needs adapting to the pandemic, including restrictions on in‐person gatherings, closure of in‐person businesses, and working from home. We investigate two gaps in current knowledge in this area of transportation research: to what extent the associations between socio‐demographic factors and mobility metrics have changed, and how these associations vary across geographic space. We used aggregate deidentified cell tower location data to measure two mobility metrics—movement time and radius of gyration—and socio‐demographic data from the 2016 Canadian Census to model these associations across Ontario, Canada in 2020 using a linear model and a geographically weighted regression model. We find that certain associations between socio‐demographics and mobility have changed from what we previously observed before the pandemic, and we can see the variation of these associations across space. These findings will improve our understanding of how socio‐demographic factors affect mobility patterns in different communities and demonstrate the importance of measuring these associations at a more fine‐grained level using models that consider spatial variation to best reflect the nature of these associations. Key messages: Geographically weighted regression was used to study associations between mobility and five socio‐demographic factors in Ontario, Canada during the COVID‐19 pandemic.All five variables exhibited positive and negative associations with mobility change for at least one period of analysis, highlighting the complexity of these relationships.Our results provide new information on the geographical relationships between mobility change during COVID‐19 and neighbourhood‐level socio‐demographic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]