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Objective: The objective of this research was to determine the school and community characteristics associated with milk and milk alternative (MMA) consumption by Canadian youth. Methods: We analyzed self-reported data from 50,058 Canadian students participating in the 2017-2018 wave of the COMPASS survey. We used logistic and linear regression analyses to identify school- and community-level factors associated with students meeting the MMA guidelines, and factors associated with daily number of MMA servings consumed, respectively. Results: Student-level factors were more strongly associated with MMA consumption than school- and community-level factors. Students who attended schools that provided staff with nutrition training consumed fewer daily servings of MMAs and were less likely to meet MMA guidelines. Students attending schools that received healthy eating grants were more likely to meet MMA guidelines, whereas students attending schools that sold flavored milk in their vending machines were less likely to meet MMA guidelines. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that student-level factors have a stronger association with MMA consumption than school or community factors. Additional research is needed to understand how factors associated with MMA consumption may influence behaviours over time, and how changes to Canada's food guide may impact youth eating habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Limited evidence exists on effects of school‐based nutrition policies. This study explored the influence of mandatory versus voluntary provincial school nutrition policies on student eating behaviors. METHODS: A cross‐sectional, school‐based survey assessed student eating behaviors using self‐report survey measures in a representative sample of Canadian high school students from 7 provinces (N = 12,110). Provincial school nutrition policies were characterized as mandatory or voluntary. Healthful and nonhealthful eating behaviors were analyzed across sociodemographic characteristics. Regression models were used to assess the association between policy type and eating behaviors, and to explore potential moderating variables. RESULTS: Healthful and nonhealthful eating behaviors differed significantly across several sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, neither healthful nor nonhealthful eating behaviors differed significantly between schools with voluntary and mandatory nutrition policies (odds ratio [OR] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64‐1.08; OR = 1.16, 95% CI 0.83‐1.64). Frequency of buying lunch at school and buying lunch out moderated the association between policy enforcement level and healthful eating behaviors (p =.0472, p =.0119). Frequency of buying lunch out moderated the association between policy enforcement levels and nonhealthful eating behaviors (p =.0009). CONCLUSIONS: This study documents nonhealthful components of Canadian adolescents' diets, and the results highlight important areas for future research in assessing the effectiveness of school nutrition policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]