Emerging evidence suggests that food insecurity is a significant public health concern among people who are homeless or marginally housed. The present study assessed prevalence of food insecurity and its covariates among a group of marginally housed individuals living in single-room occupancy (SRO) dwellings, a population for which there is little extant health or nutrition research.

Cross-sectional survey incorporating the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale.

Ten private SRO residences in the Uptown neighbourhood of Chicago, IL, USA, 2013.

SRO residents over 18 years of age who were able to communicate verbally in English (n 153).

Food insecurity was widespread among SRO residents, with 75 % of the sample considered food insecure and 52 % meeting criteria for severe food insecurity. Bivariate analyses indicated that female gender, eating most meals at a soup kitchen, having a mental health condition, problem drinking, having at least one chronic health condition, and diabetes were all significantly associated with food insecurity. In the multivariate ordered logistic regression model, eating most meals at a soup kitchen remained as the only significant correlate of food insecurity (OR=10·13).

SRO residents and other marginally housed populations face unique food access challenges. Although targeted assistance in the form of food stamps and congregate meal programmes remains critical, efforts to prevent and address food insecurity among homeless and marginally housed individuals should include policy interventions that recognize poverty as the root cause of food insecurity and aim to increase overall income and improve housing conditions.

The indigenous food environment, dietary intake and nutritional status of women in the Santhal tribal community of Jharkhand were assessed. Contribution of indigenous foods to nutritional status and nutrient intakes was explored.

Exploratory cross-sectional study with a longitudinal dietary intake assessment component. Household and dietary surveys were conducted to elicit information on socio-economic and demographic profile and food consumption patterns at household level. A 24 h dietary recall for two consecutive days (repeat surveys in two more seasons) and anthropometric assessments were carried out on one woman per household.

Households (n 151) with at least one woman of reproductive age in four villages of Godda district of Jharkhand, India.

Women aged 15–49 years.

Almost all households owned agricultural land and grew fruits and vegetables in backyards for household consumption. A wide variety of indigenous foods were reported but dietary recalls revealed low intake. Women consumed adequate energy and protein but micronutrient intake was inadequate (less than 66 % of recommended) in the majority (more than 50 %) for Ca, Fe, vitamin B2, folate and vitamin B12. Women consuming indigenous foods in the past 2 d had significantly higher intakes of Ca (P=0·008) and Fe (P=0·010) than those who did not. Varying degrees of underweight were observed in 50 % of women with no significant association between underweight and consumption of indigenous foods.

Promotion of preferential cultivation of nutrient-dense indigenous food sources and effective nutrition education on their importance may facilitate better micronutrient intakes among women in Santhal community of Jharkhand.

To investigate the association of major dietary patterns with the risk of impaired glucose and insulin homeostasis during a 3-year follow-up.

Fasting serum insulin (FSI), fasting (FSG) and 2 h serum glucose (2h-SG) were measured at baseline and again after 3 years. Dietary intakes were evaluated using a validated 168-item semi-quantitative FFQ and major dietary patterns were obtained using principal component analysis. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the occurrence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), pre-diabetes (IGT/IFG), β-cell dysfunction and hyperinsulinaemia across tertiles of dietary patterns, with adjustment for potential confounding variables.

Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study.

Iranian men and women (n 904).

Mean age of participants was 38·7 (sd 11·3) years and 44·6 % were men. Major dietary patterns were Western, traditional and healthy, which explained 25·2 % of total variance in food intake. There was a positive association between Western and traditional scores with 3-year change in 2h-SG, while the healthy pattern was negatively related to 3-year changes in FSG, 2h-SG, FSI and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Highest compared with the lowest tertile of the Western dietary pattern was accompanied by a higher risk for development of IGT (OR=3·09; 95 % CI 1·28, 7·50); a higher score on the healthy dietary pattern was associated with a significantly reduced risk of hyperinsulinaemia (OR=0·53; 95 % CI 0·28, 0·94).

Our findings showed that adherence to a Western dietary pattern may be a risk factor for the development of IGT, while a healthy dietary pattern may prevent hyperinsulinaemia.

To determine whether the ratings from the Australian front-of-pack labelling scheme, Health Star Rating (HSR), and the ability to carry health claims using the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) for core dairy products promote foods consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

The Australian nutrient profiling model used for assessing eligibility for health claims was compared with the nutrient profiling model underpinning the HSR system to determine their agreement when assessing dairy products. Agreement between the extent to which products met nutrient profiling criteria and scored three stars or over using the HSR calculator was determined using Cohen’s kappa tests.

The four largest supermarket chains in Sydney, Australia.

All available products in the milk, hard cheese, soft cheese and yoghurt categories (n 1363) were surveyed in March–May 2014. Nutrition composition and ingredients lists were recorded for each product.

There was ‘good’ agreement between NPSC and HSR overall (κ=0·78; 95 % CI 0·75, 0·81; P<0·001), for hard cheeses (κ=0·72; 95 % CI 0·65, 0·79; P<0·001) and yoghurt (κ=0·79; 95 % CI 0·73, 0·86; P<0·001). There was ‘fair’ agreement for milk (κ=0·33; 95 % CI 0·20, 0·45; P<0·001) and ‘very good’ agreement for soft cheese (κ=0·84; 95 % CI 0·75, 0·92; P<0·001). Generally, products tended to have HSR consistent with other products of a similar type within their categories.

For dairy products, the HSR scheme largely aligned with the NPSC used for determining eligibility for health claims. Both systems appeared be consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines for dairy products, with lower-fat products rating higher.

To examine the availability of packaged food products in New Zealand supermarkets by level of industrial processing, nutrient profiling score (NPSC), price (energy, unit and serving costs) and brand variety.

Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data on packaged supermarket food and non-alcoholic beverages. Products were classified according to level of industrial processing (minimally, culinary and ultra-processed) and their NPSC.

Packaged foods available in four major supermarkets in Auckland, New Zealand.

Packaged supermarket food products for the years 2011 and 2013.

The majority (84 % in 2011 and 83 % in 2013) of packaged foods were classified as ultra-processed. A significant positive association was found between the level of industrial processing and NPSC, i.e. ultra-processed foods had a worse nutrient profile (NPSC=11·63) than culinary processed foods (NPSC=7·95), which in turn had a worse nutrient profile than minimally processed foods (NPSC=3·27), P<0·001. No clear associations were observed between the three price measures and level of processing. The study observed many variations of virtually the same product. The ten largest food manufacturers produced 35 % of all packaged foods available.

In New Zealand supermarkets, ultra-processed foods comprise the largest proportion of packaged foods and are less healthy than less processed foods. The lack of significant price difference between ultra- and less processed foods suggests ultra-processed foods might provide time-poor consumers with more value for money. These findings highlight the need to improve the supermarket food supply by reducing numbers of ultra-processed foods and by reformulating products to improve their nutritional profile.

As countries struggle to meet the set targets for population salt intake, there have been calls for more regulated approaches to reducing dietary salt intake. However, little is known about how the public perceives various salt reduction policies; an important line of investigation given that the implementation and success of these policies often depend on public sentiment. We investigated the attitudes and beliefs of consumers towards salt reduction and their support for thirteen different government-led salt reduction policies.

A cross-sectional online survey measured participants’ knowledge, beliefs and attitudes in relation to salt reduction.

The survey was carried out with participants from the Republic of Ireland.

Five hundred and one participants recruited via a market research agency completed the survey.

We found that the vast majority of participants supported eleven of the government-led salt reduction policies, which included measures such as education, labelling and salt restriction in foods (both voluntary and regulated, across a range of settings). The two proposed fiscal policies (subsidising low-salt foods and taxing high-salt foods) received less support in comparison, with the majority of participants opposed to a tax on high-salt foods. A series of multiple regressions revealed that individual attitudes and beliefs related to health and salt were stronger predictors of support than sociodemographic factors, lifestyle or knowledge.

The study provides an important evidence base from which policy makers may draw when making decisions on future policy steps to help achieve national salt targets.