The present study aimed to identify whether discretionary food consumption declined in an intervention focused primarily on promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. We also aimed to identify potential mediators explaining intervention effects on discretionary food consumption.

Secondary analysis of data from the ShopSmart study, a randomised controlled trial involving a 6-month intervention promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. Linear regression models examined intervention effects on discretionary food consumption at intervention completion (T2). A half-longitudinal mediator analyses was performed to examine the potential mediating effect of personal and environmental factors on the association between the intervention effects and discretionary food consumption. Indirect (mediated) effects were tested by the product of coefficients method with bootstrapped se using Andrew Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Women were recruited via the Coles FlyBuys loyalty card database in socio-economically disadvantaged suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.

Analyses included 225 women (116 intervention and 109 control).

Compared with controls, intervention participants consumed fewer discretionary foods at T2, after adjusting for key confounders (B = −0·194, 95 % CI −0·378, −0·010 servings/d; P = 0·039). While some mediators were associated with the outcome (taste, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, time constraints), there was no evidence that they mediated intervention effects.

The study demonstrated that a behavioural intervention promoting fruit and vegetable consumption among socio-economically disadvantaged participants was effective in reducing discretionary food intake. Although specific mediators were not identified, researchers should continue searching for mechanisms by which interventions have an effect to guide future programme design.

The purpose of the current study was to examine associations of individual and aggregated screen-based behaviours, and total sitting time, with healthy and unhealthy dietary intakes among adolescents.

Cross-sectional study of adolescents. Participants self-reported durations of television viewing, computer use, playing electronic games (e-games), total sitting time, daily servings of fruits and vegetables, and frequency of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), diet beverages, fast foods and discretionary snacks. Logistic regression models were conducted to identify associations of screen-based behaviours, total screen time and total sitting time with dietary intakes.

Victoria, Australia.

Adolescents (n 939) in School Year 11 (mean age 16·8 years).

The results showed that watching television (≥2 h/d) was positively associated with consuming SSB and diet beverages each week and consuming discretionary snacks at least once daily, whereas computer use (≥2 h/d) was inversely associated with daily fruit and vegetable intake and positively associated with weekly fast-food consumption. Playing e-games (any) was inversely associated with daily vegetable intake and positively associated with weekly SSB consumption. Total screen (≥2 h/d) and sitting (h/d) times were inversely associated with daily fruit and vegetable consumption, with total screen time also positively associated with daily discretionary snack consumption and weekly consumption of SSB and fast foods.

Individual and aggregated screen-based behaviours, as well as total sitting time, are associated with a number of indicators of healthy and unhealthy dietary intake. Future research should explore whether reducing recreational screen time improves adolescents’ diets.

Sufficient dairy food consumption during adolescence is necessary for preventing disease. While socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents tend to consume few dairy foods, some eat quantities more in line with dietary recommendations despite socio-economic challenges. Socio-economic variations in factors supportive of adolescents’ frequent dairy consumption remain unexplored. The present study aimed to identify cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between intrapersonal, social and environmental factors and adolescents’ frequent dairy consumption at baseline and two years later across socio-economic strata, and to examine whether socio-economic position moderated observed effects.

Online surveys completed at baseline (2004–2005) and follow-up (2006–2007) included a thirty-eight-item FFQ and questions based on social ecological models examining intrapersonal, social and environmental dietary influences.

Thirty-seven secondary schools in Victoria, Australia.

Australian adolescents (n 1201) aged 12–15 years, drawn from a sub-sample of 3264 adolescents (response rate=33 %).

While frequent breakfast consumption was cross-sectionally associated with frequent dairy consumption among all adolescents, additional associated factors differed by socio-economic position. Baseline dairy consumption longitudinally predicted consumption at follow-up. No further factors predicted frequent consumption among disadvantaged adolescents, while four additional factors were predictive among advantaged adolescents. Socio-economic position moderated two predictors; infrequently eating dinner alone and never purchasing from school vending machines predicted frequent consumption among advantaged adolescents.

Nutrition promotion initiatives aimed at improving adolescents’ dairy consumption should employ multifactorial approaches informed by social ecological models and address socio-economic differences in influences on eating behaviours; e.g. selected intrapersonal factors among all adolescents and social factors (e.g. mealtime rules) among advantaged adolescents.

While socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents tend to have poor dietary intakes, some manage to eat healthily. Understanding how some disadvantaged adolescents restrict high-energy foods and beverages may inform initiatives promoting healthier diets among this population. The present investigation aimed to: (i) identify disadvantaged adolescents’ high-energy food and beverage intakes; and (ii) explore cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between intrapersonal, social and environmental factors and disadvantaged adolescents’ high-energy food intakes.

Longitudinal online surveys were completed at baseline (2004–2005) and follow-up (2006–2007), each comprising a thirty-eight-item FFQ and questions examining intrapersonal, social and environmental factors.

Thirty-seven secondary schools in metropolitan and non-metropolitan Victoria, Australia.

Of 1938 adolescents aged 12–15 years participating at both time points, 529 disadvantaged adolescents (whose mothers had low education levels) were included in the present investigation.

At baseline and follow-up, respectively 32 % and 39 % of adolescents consumed high-energy foods less frequently (≤2 high-energy food meals/week); 61 % and 65 % consumed high-energy beverages less frequently (≤1 time/d). More girls than boys had less frequent high-energy food intakes, and baseline consumption frequency predicted consumption frequency at follow-up. Adolescents with less frequent consumption of high-energy foods and beverages seldom ate fast food for main meals, reported reduced availability of high-energy foods at home and were frequently served vegetables at dinner.

Nutrition promotion initiatives could help improve disadvantaged adolescents’ eating behaviours by promoting adolescents and their families to replace high-energy meals with nutritious home-prepared meals and decrease home availability of high-energy foods in place of more nutritious foods.

The present study aimed to examine the availability of energy-dense, nutrient-poor snack foods (and fruits and vegetables) in supermarkets located in socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Cross-sectional supermarket audit.

Melbourne, Australia. Measures included product shelf space and number of varieties for soft drinks, crisps, chocolate, confectionery and fruits and vegetables, as well as store size.

Thirty-five supermarkets (response 83 %) from neighbourhoods in the lowest and highest quintile of socio-economic disadvantage.

Shelf space allocated to soft drinks (23·6 m v. 17·7 m, P = 0·006), crisps (16·5 m v. 13·0 m, P = 0·016), chocolate (12·2 m v. 10·1 m, P = 0·022) and confectionery (6·7 m v. 5·1 m, P = 0·003) was greater in stores from socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. After adjustment for store size (stores in disadvantaged areas being larger), shelf space for confectionery (6·3 m v. 5·6 m, P = 0·024) and combined shelf space for all energy-dense foods and drinks (55·0 m v. 48·9 m, P = 0·017) remained greater in stores from socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The ratio of shelf space allocated to fruits and vegetables to that for energy-dense snack foods also varied by socio-economic disadvantage after adjustment for store size (most disadvantaged v. least disadvantaged: 1·7 v. 2·1, P = 0·025). Varieties of fruits and vegetables and chocolate bars were more numerous in less disadvantaged areas (P < 0·05).

Exposure to energy-dense snack foods and soft drinks in supermarkets was greater in socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This may impact purchasing, consumption and cultural norms related to eating behaviours and may therefore work against elimination of the known socio-economic gradient in obesity levels. Reform of supermarket stocking practices may represent an effective means of obesity prevention.

To describe the proportion of women reporting time is a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity, the characteristics of these women and the perceived causes of time pressure, and to examine associations between perceptions of time as a barrier and consumption of fruit, vegetables and fast food, and physical activity.

A cross-sectional survey of food intake, physical activity and perceived causes of time pressure.

A randomly selected community sample.

A sample of 1580 women self-reported their food intake and their perceptions of the causes of time pressure in relation to healthy eating. An additional 1521 women self-reported their leisure-time physical activity and their perceptions of the causes of time pressure in relation to physical activity.

Time pressure was reported as a barrier to healthy eating by 41 % of the women and as a barrier to physical activity by 73 %. Those who reported time pressure as a barrier to healthy eating were significantly less likely to meet fruit, vegetable and physical activity recommendations, and more likely to eat fast food more frequently.

Women reporting time pressure as a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity are less likely to meet recommendations than are women who do not see time pressure as a barrier. Further research is required to understand the perception of time pressure issues among women and devise strategies to improve women’s food and physical activity behaviours.