To assess the effect of daily egg consumption for six months on linear growth (primary outcome), weight-for-age, weight-for-length, mid-upper arm circumference-for-age, head circumference-for-age Z-scores, gross motor milestones development, anaemia and iron status (secondary outcomes) in a low socioeconomic community.

Infants aged 6 to 9 months living in the peri-urban Jouberton area, in the Matlosana Municipality, South Africa.

A randomised controlled trial with a parallel design was implemented. Eligible infants were randomly allocated to the intervention (n 250) receiving one egg/day and the control group (n 250) receiving no intervention. The participants were visited weekly to monitor morbidity and gross motor development, with information on adherence collected for the intervention group. Trained assessors took anthropometric measurements, and a blood sample was collected to assess anaemia and iron status. There was blinding of the anthropometric assessors to the groups during measurements and the statistician during the analysis.

Baseline prevalence of stunting, underweight, wasting, overweight and anaemia was 23·8 %, 9·8 %, 1·2 %, 13·8 % and 29·2 %, respectively, and did not differ between groups. Overall, 230 and 216 participants in the intervention and control groups completed the study, respectively. There was no intervention effect on length-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length Z-scores, gross motor milestone development, anaemia and iron status.

Daily egg intake did not affect linear growth, underweight, wasting, motor milestones development, anaemia and iron status. Other interventions are necessary to understand the effect of animal-source food intake on children’s growth and development. This trial was registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (NCT05168085).

To assess how well national sentinel lists of the most frequently consumed foods in each food group capture data at subnational levels to measure minimum diet diversity (MDD).

We analysed data from seven surveys with 24-h open dietary recalls to evaluate: (1) the percentage of reported foods that were included in each sentinel food list; (2) whether these lists captured consumption of some food groups better than others and (3) differences between estimates of dietary diversity calculated from all food items mentioned in the open 24-h recall v. only food items included in the sentinel lists.

Seven subnational areas: Bangladesh (2), Benin, Colombia, Kenya, Malawi and Nepal.

8094 women 15–49 years; 4588 children 6–23 months.

National sentinel food lists captured most foods reportedly consumed by women (84 %) and children (86 %). Food groups with the highest variability were ‘other fruits’ and ‘other vegetables.’ MDD calculated from the sentinel list was, on average, 6·5 (women) and 4·1 (children) percentage points lower than when calculated from open 24-h recalls, with a statistically significant difference in most subnational areas.

National sentinel food lists can provide reliable data at subnational levels for most food groups, with some variability by country and sub-region. Assessing the accuracy of national sentinel food lists, especially for fruits and vegetables, before using them at the subnational level could avoid potentially underestimating dietary diversity and provide more accurate local information for programmes, policy and research.

To estimate the cost and affordability of healthy diets recommended by the 2016–2020 Vietnamese food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG).

Cross-sectional analysis. The Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) indicator was used to estimate the lowest cost of healthy diets and compare the cost differences by food group, region and seasonality. The affordability of healthy diets was measured by further comparing the CoHD to food expenditures and incomes.

Food prices of 176 food items from January 2016 to December 2020 were derived using data from monthly Consumer Price Index databases nationally and regionally.

Food expenditures and incomes of participants from three latest Vietnam Household Living Standard Surveys were used.

The average CoHD between 2016 and 2020 in Vietnam was 3·08 international dollars using 2017 Purchasing Power Parity (24 070 Vietnamese Dongs). The nutrient-rich food groups, including protein-rich foods, vegetables, fruits and dairy, comprised approximately 80 % of the total CoHD in all regions, with dairy accounting for the largest proportion. Between 2016 and 2020, the cheapest form of a healthy diet was affordable for all high-income and upper-middle-income households but unaffordable for approximately 70 % of low-income households, where adherence to the Vietnamese FBDG can cost up to 70 % of their income.

Interventions in local food systems must be implemented to reduce the cost of nutrient-rich foods to support the attainment of healthier diets in the Vietnamese population, especially for low-income households.

Most food retailers display foods in prominent locations as a marketing strategy (i.e. ‘placement promotions’). We examined the extent to which households with children change their food and beverage purchases in response to these promotions.

We analysed a novel dataset of all products promoted in two supermarkets from 2016 to 2017, including promotion dates and locations (e.g. aisle endcaps and front registers). We linked promotions to all purchases from the supermarkets from 2016 to 2017 by a cohort of households with children. We calculated the number of weekly promotions in each of thirteen food and beverage groups (e.g. bread; candy) and used fixed effects regressions to estimate associations between number of weekly promotions and households’ weekly food purchases, overall and by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation.

Two large supermarkets in Maine, USA.

Eight hundred and twenty-one households with children.

Most promotions (74 %) were for less healthy foods. The most promoted food groups were sweet and salty snacks (mean = 131·0 promotions/week), baked goods (mean = 68·2) and sugar-sweetened beverages (mean = 41·6). Households generally did not change their food group purchases during weeks when they were exposed to more promotions for those groups, except that a 1-sd increase in endcap candy promotions (about 1 promotion/week) was associated with $0·19/week (about 14·5 %) increase in candy purchases among SNAP nonparticipants (adjusted P < 0·001).

In-store placement promotions for food groups were generally not associated with purchases of promoted food groups, perhaps because exposure to unhealthy food marketing was consistently high. Substantial changes to in-store food marketing may be needed to promote healthier purchases.

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of vegetarians, vegans and other dietary patterns that exclude some animal-source foods in New Zealand adults. We also examined socio-demographic and lifestyle correlates of these dietary patterns.

The New Zealand Health Survey is a representative rolling cross-sectional survey of New Zealanders; data from the 2018/19 and 2019/20 waves were used for this analysis. Participants were asked if they completely excluded red meat, poultry, fish/shellfish, eggs or dairy products from their diet.

New Zealand.

Adults, aged ≥ 15 years (n 23 292).

The prevalence of red-meat excluders (2·89 %), pescatarians (1·40 %), vegetarians (2·04 %) and vegans (0·74 %) was low. After adjustment for socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, women (OR = 1·54, 95 % CI: 1·22, 1·95), Asian people (OR = 2·56, 95 % CI: 1·96, 4·45), people with tertiary education (OR = 1·71, 95 % CI: 1·18, 2·48) and physically active people (OR = 1·36, 95 % CI: 1·04, 1·76) were more likely to be vegetarian/vegan. Those aged ≥ 75 years (OR = 0·28, 95 % CI: 0·14, 0·53) and current smokers (OR = 0·42, 95 % CI: 0·23, 0·76) were less likely to be vegetarian/vegan. Similar associations were seen between socio-demographic and lifestyle factors and the odds of being a red-meat excluder/pescatarian.

Approximately 93 % of New Zealand adults eat red meat and a very small number exclude all animal products from their diets. The Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand adults recommend a plant-based diet with moderate amounts of animal-source foods. A comprehensive national nutrition survey would provide detailed information on the amount of red meat and other animal-source foods that the New Zealand population currently consumes.

To describe breastfeeding rates from early to late infancy and to examine associations between breastfeeding duration and infant growth, including rapid weight gain (RWG, > 0·67 SD increase in weight-for-age Z-score), among infants from low-income, racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

A short, prospective cohort study was conducted assessing breastfeeding status at infant ages 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 months. Infant length and weight measurements were retrieved from electronic health records to calculate weight-for-length Z-scores and the rate of weight gain.

Pediatric clinic in the Southeastern USA.

Mother-infant dyads (n = 256).

Most participants were African American (48 %) or Latina (34 %). Eighty-one per cent were participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Infants were breastfed for a median duration of 4·75 months, with partial more common than exclusive breastfeeding. At 12 months, 28 % of the participants were breastfeeding. Infants breastfed beyond 6 months had significantly lower growth trajectories than infants breastfed for 0–2 months (β = 0·045, se = 0·013, P = 0·001) or 3–6 months (β = 0·054, se = 0·016, P = 0·001). Thirty-six per cent of the infants experienced RWG. RWG was more common among infants who were breastfed for 2 months or less than 6+ month breastfed group (relative risk = 1·68, CI95 (1·03, 2·74), P = 0·03).

Breastfeeding beyond 6 months is associated with the prevention of accelerated growth among infants from low-income, racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, suggesting progress toward health equity.

This study evaluated whether food insecurity (US Adult Food Security Survey) was associated with chronic pain (≥ 3 months) and high-impact chronic pain (i.e. pain that limits work and life) among US adults.

Cross-sectional analysis.

Nationally representative sample of non-institutionalised adults in the USA.

79 686 adults from the National Health Interview Survey (2019–2021).

Marginal, low and very low food security were associated with increased prevalence odds of chronic pain (OR: 1·58 (95 % CI 1·44, 1·72), 2·28 (95 % CI 2·06, 2·52) and 3·37 (95 % CI 3·01, 3·78), respectively) and high-impact chronic pain (OR: 1·28 (95 % CI 1·14, 1·42), 1·55 (95 % CI 1·37, 1·75) and 1·90 (95 % CI 1·65, 2·18), respectively) in a dose–response fashion (P-trend < 0·0001 for both), adjusted for sociodemographic, socio-economic and clinically relevant factors. Participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and age modified the association between food insecurity and chronic pain.

These findings illustrate the impact of socio-economic factors on chronic pain and suggest that food insecurity may be a social determinant of chronic pain. Further research is needed to better understand the complex relationship between food insecurity and chronic pain and to identify targets for interventions. Moreover, the consideration of food insecurity in the clinical assessment of pain and pain-related conditions among socio-economically disadvantaged adults may be warranted.

To assess whether the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is associated with lower micronutrients inadequacy in a sample of Spanish preschoolers.

We conducted a cross-sectional study with 4–5-year-old children participating in the SENDO project. Information was gathered through an online questionnaire completed by parents. Dietary information was collected with a previously validated semi-quantitative FFQ. The estimated average requirements or adequate intake levels as proposed by the Institute of Medicine were used as cut-off point to define inadequate intake.

Crude and multivariable adjusted estimates were calculated with generalised estimated equations to account for intra-cluster correlation between siblings.

We used baseline information of 1153 participants enrolled in the SENDO project between January 2015 and June 2022.

OR and 95 % CI of presenting an inadequate intake of ≥ 3 micronutrients associated with the MedDiet.

The adjusted proportion of children with inadequate intake of ≥ 3 micronutrients was 27·2 %, 13·5 % and 8·1 % in the categories of low, medium and high adherence to the MedDiet, respectively. After adjusting for all potential confounders, children who had a low adherence to the MedDiet showed a significant lower odds of inadequate intake of ≥ 3 micronutrients compared to those with a high adherence (OR 9·85; 95 % CI 3·33, 29·09).

Lower adherence to the MedDiet is associated with higher odds of nutritional inadequacy.

To investigate the association between a lifestyle score and all-cause mortality in the Chilean population.

Prospective study.

The score was based on seven modifiable behaviours: salt intake, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption, sleep duration, smoking, physical activity and sedentary behaviours. 1-point was assigned for each healthy recommendation. Points were summed to create an unweighted score from 0 (less healthy) to 7 (healthiest). According to their score, participants were then classified into: less healthy (0–2 points), moderately healthy (3–4 points) and the healthiest (5–7 points). Associations between the categories of lifestyle score and all-cause mortality were investigated using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for confounders. Nonlinear associations were also investigated.

2706 participants from the Chilean National Health Survey 2009–2010.

After a median follow-up of 10·9 years, 286 (10·6 %) participants died. In the maximally adjusted model, and compared with the healthiest participants, those less healthy had 2·55 (95 % CI 1·75, 3·71) times higher mortality risk due to any cause. Similar trends were identified for the moderately healthy group. Moreover, there was a significant trend towards increasing the mortality risk when increasing unhealthy behaviours (hazard ratio model 3: 1·61 (95 % CI 1·34, 1·94)). There was no evidence of nonlinearity between the lifestyle score and all-cause mortality.

Individuals in the less healthy lifestyle category had higher mortality risk than the healthiest group. Therefore, public health strategies should be implemented to promote adherence to a healthy lifestyle across the Chilean population.

Children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing contributes to poor diets by influencing the foods that children like, request, buy and consume. This study aimed to use confirmatory mediational analyses to test a hypothetical model of marketing effects, to better understand the mechanisms behind food marketing’s impacts on children.

Children responded to a cross-sectional online survey about their attitudes towards, and purchase and consumption behaviours of, ten frequently promoted food/beverage brands and their media use. Structural equation modelling tested a priori potential pathways for the effects of food marketing exposure on children’s diets.

10–16-year-old children (n 400).

Australia.

There was a significant positive correlation between children’s commercial screen media use and their attitudes towards brands (related to perceived social norms) and their brand purchasing behaviours, including their own purchases and requests to parents. The use of strategies to avoid advertising in commercial screen media reduced but did not remove the association between media use and brand purchases. Other brand exposures (on clothing, outdoor advertising, sponsorships) had a positive association with children’s perceived social norms about brands and their brand purchases and requests. Non-commercial screen media use was not associated with any brand-related outcomes.

Commercial screen media use and other brand exposures were strongly positively associated with children’s perceptions and purchasing behaviours of frequently marketed food/beverages. Regulations to restrict children’s exposures to food marketing on-screen and through other media are required to reduce the effect of marketing exposure on children’s food purchasing behaviours.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS-P) translated and adapted for use in Brazil.

Validation of the NEMS-P questionnaire. The questionnaires were applied to assess validity and reliability, based on exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s α coefficient and intra-class correlation, with a significance level of 95 %.

Brazil.

Adults over 20 years of age diagnosed with hypertension were included in the internal validity and reliability test (n 176) and intra-rater reliability (subsample n 35).

Factor analysis obtained satisfactory results. Internal consistency was acceptable for most items, with Cronbach’s α ranging from 0·6 to 0·9. The intra-rater reliability of the subsample was also valid, with intra-class correlation coefficient values ranging from 0·5 to 0·9.

This work reveals the usefulness of the instrument to assess the perceived food environment in the Brazilian context, being able to measure what is proposed according to its theoretical model, and reproduces the values when applied to a sample different from its original validation. However, refinement of some questions is suggested. Finally, it demonstrates the possibility of using the entire instrument or each section independently, according to the food environments to be investigated.

To explore the perspectives, barriers and enablers on salt reduction in out-of-home sectors in Malaysia among street food vendors, caterers and consumers.

A qualitative study involving twenty-two focus group discussions and six in-depth interviews was conducted, recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis approach was employed to analyse the data.

Two in-depth interviews and twenty-two focus group discussions were conducted face-to-face. Four in-depth interviews were conducted online.

Focus group discussions were conducted among twenty-three street food vendors, twenty-one caterers and seventy-six consumers of various eateries. In-depth interviews were conducted among two street food vendors and four caterers, individually.

Consumers and food operators perceived a high-salt intake within Malaysia’s out-of-home food sectors. Food operators emphasised the necessity for a comprehensive salt reduction policy in the out-of-home sector involving all stakeholders. Consumers faced limited awareness and knowledge, counterproductive practices among food operators and challenges in accessing affordable low-Na food products, whereas food operators faced the lack of standardised guidelines and effective enforcement mechanisms and uncooperative consumer practices. Both groups expressed that food quality and price of salt were also the barriers, and they advocated for awareness promotion, enhanced regulation of manufactured food products and stricter enforcement targeting vendors. Consumers also suggested promoting and recognising health-conscious food premises, whereas food operators suggested on knowledge enhancement tailored to them, strategies for gaining consumers acceptance and maintaining food quality.

These findings provide valuable insights that serve as foundational evidence for developing and implementing salt reduction policies within Malaysia’s out-of-home sectors.

To explore store-specific grocery shopping patterns and assess associations with the objective and perceived retail food environment (RFE).

This cross-sectional study used principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis to identify grocery shopping patterns and logistic regression models to assess their associations with the RFE, while adjusting for household characteristics.

The Montpellier Metropolitan Area, France.

To be eligible for inclusion, participants had to be 18 years of age or older and reside in the Montpellier Metropolitan Area. Analyses were carried out on 415 households.

Households of cluster ‘Supermarket’ (49 % of households) primarily shopped at supermarkets and were less likely to live near a convenience store. Households of cluster ‘Diversified’ (18 %) shopped mostly at organic stores, at markets, at specialised stores, and from producers and were more likely to have a market in their activity space. Households of cluster ‘Discount’ (12 %) primarily shopped at discounters and were less likely to perceive a producer in their activity space. Households of cluster ‘Convenience’ (12 %) mostly shopped online or in convenience stores. Finally, households of cluster ‘Specialized’ (9 %) had high expenditures in greengrocers and in other specialised food stores and were more likely to live near a specialised food store.

This study highlighted the importance of considering both perceived and objective RFE indicators, as well as assessments around the home and in activity space. Understanding how people buy food and interact with their RFE is crucial for policymakers seeking to improve urban food policies.

To evaluate the direct and indirect associations of obesogenic and leptogenic neighborhood environments with body fat, and pro- and anti-inflammatory adipokines in Brazilian children.

Cross-sectional study. The body fat distribution was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Concentrations of leptin and adiponectin were measured. Four hundred meters (0·25 miles) road network buffer was the neighborhood unit used to assess the environmental characteristics around households. Obesogenic and leptogenic environments were the latent variables obtained from the observed characteristics. The mother’s BMI, ultra-processed food consumption, and physical activity before and after school, were tested as mediating variables. A hybrid model of structural equations was used to test the direct and indirect associations of obesogenic and leptogenic environments with body fat, leptin and adiponectin concentrations.

Urban area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Children aged 8- and 9-years (n 367).

Obesogenic environment was directly associated with the mother’s BMI (β: 0·24, P = 0·02) and the child’s body fat (β: 0·19, P = 0·02). The mother’s BMI and body fat mediated the association of the obesogenic environment with leptin concentrations (β: 0·05, P = 0·02).

Obesogenic neighborhood environment was directly associated with body fat and mother's BMI, and indirectly associated with leptin concentrations in Brazilian children, mediated by the mother’s BMI and body fat.

We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the protocol adaptations on cost and cost-effectiveness of community management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) program in South Sudan.

Retrospective program expenditure-based analysis of non-governmental organisation (NGO) CMAM programs for COVID-19 period (April 2020–December 2021) in respect to pre-COVID period (January 2019–March 2020).

Study was conducted as part of a bigger evaluation study in South Sudan.

International and national NGOs operating CMAM programs under the nutrition cluster participated in the study.

The average cost per child recovered from the programme declined by 20 % during COVID from $133 (range: $34–1174) pre-COVID to $107 (range: $20–333) during COVID. The cost per child recovered was negatively correlated with programme size (pre-COVID r-squared = 0·58; during COIVD r-squared = 0·50). Programmes with higher enrollment were cheaper compared with those with low enrolment. Salaries, ready to use food and community activities accounted for over two-thirds of the cost per recovery during both pre-COVID (69 %) and COVID (79 %) periods. While cost per child recovered decreased during COVID period, it did not negatively impact on the programme outcome. Enrolment increased by an average of 19·8 % and recovery rate by 4·6 % during COVID period.

Costs reduced with no apparent negative implication on recovery rates after implementing the COVID CMAM protocol adaptations with a strong negative correlation between cost and programme size. This suggests that investing in capacity, screening and referral at existing CMAM sites to enable expansion of caseload maybe a preferable strategy to increasing the number of CMAM sites in South Sudan.

Although typically serving higher income and younger demographic groups, meal-kit subscription services have the potential to improve food availability and dietary quality in communities experiencing low food access due to systemic discrimination. This study describes the development and characteristics of a pilot community-led meal-kit service (SouthEats) and evaluates key implementation outcomes of adoption, acceptability, and feasibility among households experiencing less income.

We utilised a mixed methods study design, including data from administrative records, customer surveys and worker interviews. Thematic qualitative analyses and descriptive quantitative analyses were conducted to illuminate the characteristics and extent the pilot meal-kit service was adopted, acceptable, and financially feasible among the target populations.

The study took place in Washington DC, USA.

Study participants included SouthEats consumers (n 35) and workers (n 3).

During the pilot period, sixty-seven community members signed up for the meal-kit service, with 52 % making recurring purchases. Our results suggest that the meal-kit service is acceptable among people living in low food access areas. Our feasibility analysis indicates that, although not without challenges, the SouthEats model could be financially feasible.

These preliminary insights can inform the scalability and potential replication of this service and provide foundational evidence for an approach that may be used to improve food access.

This study aimed to examine the theoretical potential of meal kit subscription services in Australia to promote parental food literacy using the retrospective application of behaviour change frameworks.

A one-week subscription was purchased for all Australian-based meal kit subscription services (n 9) to access content and features available to subscribers. Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) identified in the subscription and meal planning features, meal kit delivery (i.e. ingredients and recipes) and website were coded using the behaviour change technique taxonomy (BCTTv1) and associated behaviour change frameworks. Identified BCTs were mapped to the theoretical domains framework to identify potential mechanisms of action for influencing parental food literacy development.

Australia.

Thirty-five BCTs were identified across the nine meal kit services reviewed, ranging from nineteen to twenty-nine BCTs per company. Sixteen BCTs were common to all meal kits services, from the hierarchical clusters of ‘goals and planning’, ‘shaping knowledge’, ‘social support’, ‘natural consequences’, ‘comparison of behaviour’, ‘repetitions and substitution’, ‘associations’, ‘reward and threat’, ‘antecedents’ and ‘regulation’. Across the meal kit services, the most frequently identified mechanisms of action were motivation (n 27) and capability (n 19).

These findings support the applicability of behaviour change frameworks to commercial meal kit subscription services and provide a theory-informed process for identifying BCTs that may be relevant for promoting parental food literacy within this context. Further research is required to explore how families engage with meal kit subscription services to determine the exposure and delivery of identified BCT content and to evaluate the potential influence on food literacy development.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of goitre among children aged 6–12 years at South Kordofan state.

This was a cross-sectional facility-based study.

The study was conducted in twenty villages of South Kordofan state during a medical mission.

All 575 school-age children (6–12 years) who attended the medical day were examined for clinical assessment of goitre.

The prevalence of goitre among children of South Kordofan was 42·8 % (grade 1: 15·7 %, grade 2: 27·1 %). Only 24·2 % of caregivers reported using iodised salt. Mothers working as farmers (OR: 3·209, CI 95 % 1·437, 7·167; P = 0·004) and children of Darforian tribes (OR: 21·799, CI 95 % 2·566, 185·226; P = 0·005) were found to be significantly associated with higher prevalence of goitre among children. This contrasts with children of African tribes, where they were found to have less goitre prevalence (OR: 0·432, CI 95 % 0·213, 0·875; P = 0·02). Iodised salt utilisation (OR = 0·523, CI 95 % 0·320, 0·854; P = 0·01) was found associated with a lower prevalence of goitre.

Even though National Iodine Deficiency Disorders control programs were initiated in Sudan more than 25 years ago, the prevalence of goitre among children in South Kordofan state was alarming (42·8 %). Efforts to improve access to iodised salt, increase utilisation and raise awareness are urgently needed.

This study aimed to examine the association between fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) and the risk of hypertension among women in Ghana.

Data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey were used. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using Stata version 14. The study reports the adjusted OR (AOR) and CI.

Ghana

A total sample of 4168 women was used in the analysis.

Among women who met the WHO’s recommended intake of FVC, 13·1 % had hypertension. The intake of the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables was not significantly associated with hypertension. However, the likelihood of being hypertensive was significantly associated with increasing age (AOR = 6·1; 95 % CI = 4·29, 8·73), being married (AOR = 1·7; 95 % CI = 1·14, 2·57) or formerly married (AOR = 2·3; 95 % CI = 1·44, 3·70), and being overweight (AOR = 1·6; 95 % CI = 1·24, 2·07) or obese (AOR = 2·4; 95 % CI = 1·82, 3·20).

The study concludes that there is no significant association between FVC and hypertension risk among women in Ghana. While this study did not find a significant association between FVC and hypertension risk among women in Ghana, it underscores the point that other multifaceted factors influence hypertension risk. As such, public health campaigns should emphasise a balanced and holistic approach to promoting cardiovascular health, including factors beyond FVC. The findings also highlight the need to target high-risk populations (i.e. older women, married and formerly married women, and overweight or obese women) with hypertension prevention education and related interventions.

To systematically identify and review food taxation policy changes in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

Food taxation polices, regarding excise taxes and tariffs applied from 2000 to 2020 in twenty-two PICTs, and their key characteristics were reviewed. The search was conducted using databases, government legal repositories and broad-based search engines. Identified documents for screening included legislation, reports, academic literature, news articles and grey literature. Key informants were contacted from each PICT to retrieve further data and confirm results. Results were analysed by narrative synthesis.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCD) are the leading cause of premature death in PICTs and in many jurisdictions globally. An NCD crisis has been declared in the Pacific, and food taxation policy has been recommended to address the dietary risk factors associated with. Progress is unclear.

Of the twenty-two PICTs included in the study, fourteen had food taxation policies and five introduced excise taxes. Processed foods, sugar and salt were the main target of excise taxes. A total of eighty-four food taxation policy changes were identified across all food groups. There was a total of 279 taxes identified by food group, of which 85 % were tariffs and 15 % were excise taxes. Individual tax rates varied substantially. The predominant tax design was ad valorem, and this was followed by volumetric.

A quarter of PICTs have introduced food excise taxes from 2000 to 2020. Further excise taxes, specifically tiered or nutrient-specific designs, could be introduced and more systematically applied to a broader range of unhealthy foods.