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Objective To determine whether sugar industry-related organizations influenced textual changes between the draft and final versions of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) 2015 guideline Sugars intake for adults and children. Methods Stakeholder consultation submissions on the draft guideline from seven sugar industry-related and 10 public health organizations were assessed using the Wordscores program. Document scores were rescaled using the Martin-Vanberg transformation to improve comparability. Draft and final guidelines were compared to identify changes influenced by the sugar industry and public health organizations. Findings There was a small shift in transformed Wordscores score between the draft and final guidelines, from 0.25 to 0.24, towards the industry position. The change was linked to increased use of the word 'low' to describe the quality of the evidence, consistent with industry arguments. There was also a shift from use of the word 'consumption' to 'intake', irrespective of policy position. Scores for World Sugar Research Organisation and Sugar Nutrition UK submissions (0.11 and 0.18, respectively) represented strong pro- industry positions and scores for European Public Health Alliance and Wemos submissions (1.00 and 0.88, respectively) represented the strongest public health positions. Industry tactics included challenging the quality of the evidence, distinguishing between different types of sugar and advocating harm reduction. Conclusion There was little change between draft and final versions of the WHO sugars intake guideline 2015, following Industry consultation. The main change was linked to emphasizing the low quality of the evidence on sugar's adverse effects. Guideline development appeared relatively resistant to industry influence at the stakeholder consultation stage. Objectif Determiner si les organisations liees au secteur sucrier ont influence les modifications textuelles entre la version provisoire et la version finale de la directive de 2015 de l'Organisation mondiale de la Sa nte (OMS) Apport en sucres chez l'adulte et l'enfant. Methodes Les propositions issues de consultations avec les parties prenantes (7 organisations liees au secteur sucrier et 10 organismes de sante publique) au sujet de la version provisoire de la directive ont ete evaluees a l'aide du programme Wordscores. Les scores des documents ont ete reajustes suivant la procedure de transformation de Martin-Vanberg afin d'en ameliorer la comparabilite. La version provisoire et la version finale de la directive ont ete comparees afin de reperer les modifications influencees par l'industrie sucriere et les organismes de sante publique. Resultats On a observe un leger changement du score Wordscores transforme (de 0,25 a 0,24) entre la version provisoire et la version finale, en faveur de la position de l'industrie. Ce changement etait lie a l'emploi plus frequent du mot << mauvaise >> pour decrire la qualite des elements de preuve, ce qui concordait avec les arguments de l'industrie. Un autre changement concernait l'utilisation du mot << apport >> au lieu de << consommation >>, independamment de la position politique. Les scores des propositions des organisations World Sugar Research Organisation et Sugar Nutrition UK (respectivement 0,11 et 0,18) representaient de fortes positions pro-industrie et les scores des propositions de la European Public Health Alliance et de la fondation Wemos (respectivement 1,00 et 0,88) representaient les plus fortes positions du secteur de la sante publique. L'industrie sucriere a use de tactiques telles que la remise en question de la qualite des elements de preuve, la distinction entre les differents types de sucres et la mise en avant de la reduction des mefaits. Conclusion Peu de changements ont ete constates entre la version provisoire et la version finale de la directive de 2015 de l'OMS sur l'apport en sucres suite a la consultation des organisations du secteur. Le principal changement concernait la mise en avant de la mauvaise qualite des preuves sur les effets nefastes du sucre. Lelaboration de la directive a relativement bien resiste a l'influence de l'industrie sucriere lors de la phase de consultation des parties prenantes. Objetivo Determinar si las organizaciones relacionadas con la industria azucarera han influenciado en las modificaciones de texto entre el borradory las versiones definitivas de la directriz Ingesta de azucares para adultos y ninos de 2015 de la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Metodos Se evaluaron las consultas de las partes interesadas sobre el borrador de la directriz enviadas por 7 organizaciones relacionadas con la industria azucarera y 10 organizaciones de salud publica utilizando el programa Wordscores. Los resultados del documento se clasificaron utilizando la transformacion de Martin y Vanberg para mejorar la comparacion. Se compararon el borrador y las directrices definitivas para identificar los cambios influenciados por la industria azucarera y las organizaciones de salud publica. Resultados Se detecto un ligero cambio en la puntuacion de Wordscores transformada entre el borrador y las directrices definitivas, de 0,25 a 0,24 a favor de la industria. El cambio se relacionaba con el aumento del uso de la palabra 'baja' para describir la calidad de la prueba, de forma coherente con los argumentos de la industria. Tambien se encontro un cambio del uso de la palabra 'consumo' a 'ingesta', independientemente de la postura politica. Los resultados de la Organizacion Mundial de Investigacion del Azucar y Sugar Nutrition UK (0,11 y 0,18 respectivamente) representaron posturas muy favorables a la industria y los resultados de Alianza Europea de Salud Publica y Wemos (1,00 y 0,88 respectivamente) representaron las posturas mas favorables a la salud publica. Entre las tacticas industriales se encontraban la obstaculizacion de la calidad de las pruebas, la distincion entre distintos tipos de azucares y la defensa de la reduccion de danos. Conclusion Apenas se detectaron cambios entre el borrador y las versiones definitivas de la directriz sobre la ingesta de azucares de 2015 de la OMS, tras la consulta a la Industria. El principal cambio estaba relacionado con la enfatizadon de la escasa calidad de las pruebas sobre los efectos perjudiciales del azucar. El desarrollo de la directriz se mostro relativamente resistente a la influencia de la Industria en la etapa de consulta a las partes interesadas., Introduction In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) began the process of updating its guideline on sugars intake for adults and children. Sugar consumption has been a contested area of [...]

OBJECTIVE: Growing recognition of the problem of household food insecurity in Canada has meant public health practitioners are looking for effective ways to ameliorate this problem in their communities. Community gardens, community kitchens, and food box programs can offer nutritious foods for comparably lower costs, however, the uptake and perceptions of these programs in populations at risk of food insecurity have not been evaluated. Building on a previous finding of low program participation among 485 families living in high-poverty neighbourhoods in Toronto, the objective of this study was to understand reasons for non-participation. METHODS: One year after the baseline study, 371 families were interviewed a second time and were asked to provide their reasons for not participating in community gardens, community kitchens, or the Good Food Box program. Responses were analyzed by inductive content analysis. RESULTS: At follow-up, only 12 families had participated in a community garden, 16 in a community kitchen, and 4 in the Good Food Box program. Reasons for non-participation grouped under two themes. First, families expressed that programs were not accessible because they lacked the knowledge of how or where to participate or because programs were not in their neighbourhoods. Second, programs lacked fit for families, as they were not suited to busy schedules, interests, or needs. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides unique perspective on participation in community food programs among food-insecure families and suggests that these programs may not be effective options for these families to improve their food access. KEY WORDS: Food security; low-income; poverty; Canada; public health OBJECTIF: La reconnaissance croissante du probleme de l'insecurite alimentaire des menages au Canada amene les praticiens de la sante publique a chercher des moyens efficaces d'ameliorer la situation dans leur communaute. Les jardins communautaires, les cuisines collectives et les boites de vivres peuvent offrir des aliments nutritifs a un cout comparativement faible, mais on n'a pas evalue le recours a ces programmes, ni la facon dont ils sont percus, dans les populations exposees a l'insecurite alimentaire. Une etude anterieure avait constate la faible participation a de tels programmes pour 485 familles vivant dans un quartier tres pauvre de Toronto; nous avons cherche a comprendre les raisons de cette non-participation. METHODE: Un an apres l'etude de base, nous avons interviewe 371 familles une deuxieme fois pour leur demander les raisons de leur refus de participer aux programmes de jardins communautaires, de cuisines collectives ou de boites d'aliments sains. Nous avons analyse le contenu de leurs reponses par induction. RESULTATS: Au suivi, seulement 12 familles avaient participe a un jardin communautaire, 16 a une cuisine collective et 4 a un programme de boites d'aliments sains. Les raisons de la non-participation ont ete regroupees sous deux themes. Premierement, les familles nous ont dit que les programmes n'etaient pas accessibles parce qu'elles ne savaient pas comment ni oU y participer, ou parce que ces programmes n'etaient pas offerts dans leur quartier. Deuxiemement, les programmes etaient mal adaptes aux familles, car ils ne tenaient pas compte de leurs horaires charges, de leurs interets ou de leurs besoins. CONCLUSION: Cette etude presente une perspective unique de la participation des familles exposees a l'insecurite alimentaire aux programmes alimentaires communautaires; nous montrons que ces programmes peuvent ne pas etre des options efficaces pour ameliorer l'acces de ces familles aux aliments. MOTS CLES: securite alimentaire; faible revenu; pauvrete; Canada; sante publique, In 2007-2008, 7.7% of Canadian households were moderately or severely food insecure, indicating that they had experienced qualitative and quantitative compromises in their food intake or reduced food intake and [...]

In this paper we explore whether the recent rise in food bank usage in the UK has been induced by the roll-out of Universal Credit. We bring together official statistics on the introduction of Universal Credit with data on food bank usage from the UK's largest food bank network. We test the relationship between Universal Credit and food parcel distribution using a range of causal identification strategies (such as fixed-effects model, Granger causality tests, and matching designs) and consistently find that an increase in the prevalence of Universal Credit is associated with more food parcel distribution. We also find that the relationship between Universal Credit and food parcel distribution is stronger in areas where food banks are active, suggesting food insecurity arising from Universal Credit may be hidden in places where food banks are largely unavailable. Though it is challenging to implement any large-scale change to social security, our analysis suggests systemic and persistent problems with this new system. Whilst the logic of Universal Credit is intuitively appealing, it has also proven to be unforgiving, leaving many struggling to make ends meet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food bank use has risen rapidly in the UK since 2010. The negative health impacts of food insecurity are well‐documented, but there is a lack of quantitative research exploring the health of people using food banks, who are most often severely food insecure. To address this gap, this study compares health outcomes between working‐age adults using food banks and those in the general population in England, investigating whether adults using food banks are disproportionately affected by poor health, even after accounting for socioeconomic differences. Data from a survey of 598 adults using Trussell Trust food banks in 2016–2017 were merged with data from the Health Survey for England (HSE) from 2016. Outcome variables of interest were: self‐rated health, life‐limiting health conditions (disability) and self‐reported metabolic, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and mental health conditions. Logistic regression models were used to examine the odds of adults using food banks having health conditions, disability and poor self‐rated health compared to the general population. The prevalence rates of poor self‐rated health, disability, mental health disorders and musculoskeletal conditions were significantly higher among adults using food banks than the general population (p <.05 for all outcomes). These associations remained after accounting for gender, age, marital status, employment and education. This comparative study highlights the many health disadvantages among adults using food bank compared to the general population. The higher risk of poor self‐rated health, disability and mental health conditions was not fully explained by measures of low socioeconomic status. Possible explanations for these findings include: first, that poor health may increase vulnerability to food insecurity, and, in turn, use of food banks; second, that experiences of food insecurity and food bank use may cause declines in health; and third, that food bank use and poor health may be joint outcomes arising from the last decade of austerity in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To examine the association between wage-setting policy and food insecurity. Methods. We estimated multilevel regression models, using data from the Gallup World Poll (2014–2017) and UCLA's World Policy Analysis Center, to examine the association between wage setting policy and food insecurity across 139 countries (n = 492 078). Results. Compared with countries with little or no minimum wage, the probability of being food insecure was 0.10 lower (95% confidence interval = 0.02, 0.18) in countries with collective bargaining. However, these associations varied across employment status. More generous wage-setting policies (e.g., collective bargaining or high minimum wages) were associated with lower food insecurity among full-time workers (and, to some extent, part-time workers) but not those who were unemployed. Conclusions. In countries with generous wage-setting policies, employed adults had a lower risk of food insecurity, but the risk of food insecurity for the unemployed was unchanged. Wage-setting policies may be an important intervention for addressing risks of food insecurity among low-income workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore relationships between disability, food insecurity (FI) and age and examine how socio-economic factors impact risk of FI among disabled people in working and older age. Design: Logistic regression models used to analyse the contribution of socio-economic factors to gaps in risk of FI for disabled people. In models stratified into working and older age groups, differences in risk of FI for disabled and non-disabled people were examined by employment, education and assets. Setting: England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2016 and 2018 Participants: A representative sample of 6187 adults aged 16+, of whom 28 % were disabled, from the Food & You survey. Results: The gap in FI risk by disability status decreased as age increased. For ages 25–34 for disabled v. non-disabled people, risk of FI was 31 % (95 % CI 21–41 %) v. 10 % (8–12 %); at ages 45 to 54, it was 18 % (11–23 %) v. 7 % (5–8 %), and at ages 75+, there was no gap in risk. Accounting for socio-economic variables halved the gap in risk among working ages. However, among working-age adults, FI among disabled people in full-time work was 15 % (11–20 %) compared with only 7 % (6–9 %) among non-disabled people in full-time work. Among older people, disabled people without savings were at higher risk of FI (5 % (3–7 %)) than non-disabled people without savings (2 % (1–3 %)) but having savings closed risk gap. Conclusions: Socio-economic resources partially explain disparities in FI risk when disabled. Disparities remained for people in full-time work and among people without savings in older age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food bank use in Great Britain has risen substantially over the last decade. The considerable socioeconomic disadvantage of the food bank user population has been documented, but little research has examined whether housing problems intersect with insecure food access. Using data from 598 households accessing assistance from twenty-four food banks operating in Great Britain in 2016–2017, we found that nearly 18 per cent of households were homeless, with more having experienced homelessness in the past twelve months. Renters from both the private and social rented sectors were also overrepresented in the sample. Households in both private and social rented housing reported high rates of rent arrears and poor conditions; those in private housing were also more likely to live in homes with damp, to have moved in past year, and to be worried about a forced move in future. Overall, housing problems are widespread among food bank users; policy interventions are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]