The number of days of absence because of sickness, recorded for all children in one city in Finland, cared for in municipal day care over a period of 2.5 years, was collected from the monthly figures kept by the city council office for accounting purposes. The average number of days of absence per child was 24 per year at child-care centers and 9 in family care (p
The account of quantitative and qualitative structure of diets of children of children's houses has revealed infringements in organisation of mode of a meals, and also unbalance of diet on structure of food substances, including on iodine, that can promote development of iodine-dependence diseases.
In the aftermath of a party, 70% (25 of 36) of attendees had gastroenteritis. The objectives of this study were to identify a risk factor associated with the food during the banquet and to identify measures of control for avoiding this kind of outbreak in the future.
A retrospective cohort study was used. We tried to reach by telephone all guests who had attended this banquet. A standardized questionnaire was used to provide information about identification of a risk factor, especially in relation to food.
The cohort study has shown that potato salad served at the party was significantly associated with the disease. The mayonnaise used to prepare the salad was analyzed and Bacillus cereus was isolated (10(3) bacteria per gram).
Bacillus microorganisms are usually found in decaying organic matter, dust, soil, vegetables and water. The bacteria has a remarkable ability to survive strong environmental stresses. There are strains of B. cereus that can cause food poisoning episodes with infective doses as low as 10(3) to 10(4) bacteria per gram. B. cereus is an infrequently reported cause of foodborne illnesses in Quebec and in North America but this may be due to underreporting of episodes. In this outbreak, bacterial multiplication was facilitated at several points in the interval between the preparation of the meal and the consumption of the banquet by the guests. Because the spores are ubiquitous and resistant to inactivation with most food grade disinfectants, temperature control should be the main focus of B. cereus outbreak prevention.
The meal was prepared by a restaurateur who was inexperienced in catering services and temperature control in particular when food is served outside the restaurant. This outbreak underscores the importance of maintaining meticulous hygienic procedures in food processing. Restaurateurs who offer catering services should be familiar with the constraints that are specific to this sector of the food industry.
According to recent literature, delivering chilled Meals on Wheels to seniors increases food quality and safety. The purpose of this study was to determine the acceptability and/or feasibility of a cook-chill delivery system for participants in the Maimonides Geriatric Centre Meals on Wheels program in Montreal, Quebec. The authors also evaluated whether the meal was eaten upon delivery, documented where the meal was stored if consumption was delayed, determined what cooking/heating appliances were used and if the recipients were capable of heating up their meals, and assessed preferences for receiving chilled versus hot meals. Upon receiving the meal, 89% of the 60 seniors did not eat it immediately. Those who ate the meal later stored it in the refrigerator. All had some appliance available to heat the delivered meal; 55% used a microwave. Approximately 75% did not object to receiving meals chilled. The majority of recipients did not require delivery of hot meals, as most delayed consuming the meal until later in the day. Other meal-delivery program planners can use these findings when deciding if a cook-chill system is appropriate for their client populations.
School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, F508-4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 3V4, Canada. lmasse@cfri.ubc.ca.
High rates of childhood obesity have generated interest among policy makers to improve the school food environment and increase students' levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine school-level changes associated with implementation of the Food and Beverage Sales in Schools (FBSS) and Daily Physical Activity (DPA) guidelines in British Columbia, Canada.
Elementary and middle/high school principals completed a survey on the school food and physical activity environment in 2007-08 (N=513) and 2011-12 (N=490). Hierarchical mixed effects regression was used to examine changes in: 1) availability of food and beverages; 2) minutes per day of Physical Education (PE); 3) delivery method of PE; and 4) school community support. Models controlled for school enrollment and community type, education and income.
After policy implementation was expected, more elementary schools provided access to fruits and vegetables and less to 100% fruit juice. Fewer middle/high schools provided access to sugar-sweetened beverages, French fries, baked goods, salty snacks and chocolate/candy. Schools were more likely to meet 150 min/week of PE for grade 6 students, and offer more minutes of PE per week for grade 8 and 10 students including changes to PE delivery method. School community support for nutrition and physical activity policies increased over time.
Positive changes to the school food environment occurred after schools were expected to implement the FBSS and DPA guidelines. Reported changes to the school environment are encouraging and provide support for guidelines and policies that focus on increasing healthy eating and physical activity in schools.
Notes
Cites: Am J Public Health. 2009 Apr;99(4):706-1219150914
Cites: J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Jul;110(7):1043-820630161
Cites: J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Oct;110(10):1532-620869493
Danish children consume too much sugar and not enough whole grain, fish, fruit, and vegetables. The Nordic region is rich in such foods with a strong health-promoting potential. We lack randomised controlled trials that investigate the developmental and health impact of serving school meals based on Nordic foods.
This paper describes the rationale, design, study population, and potential implications of the Optimal well-being, development and health for Danish children through a healthy New Nordic Diet (OPUS) School Meal Study.
In a cluster-randomised cross-over design, 1021 children from 3rd and 4th grades (8-11 years old) at nine Danish municipal schools were invited to participate. Classes were assigned to two 3-month periods with free school meals based on the New Nordic Diet (NND) or their usual packed lunch (control). Dietary intake, nutrient status, physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, sleep, growth, body composition, early metabolic and cardiovascular risk markers, illness, absence from school, wellbeing, cognitive function, social and cultural features, food acceptance, waste, and cost were assessed.
In total, 834 children (82% of those invited) participated. Although their parents were slightly better educated than the background population, children from various socioeconomic backgrounds were included. The proportion of overweight and obese children (14%) resembled that of earlier examinations of Danish school children. Drop out was 8.3%.
A high inclusion rate and low drop out rate was achieved. This study will be the first to determine whether school meals based on the NND improve children's diet, health, growth, cognitive performance, and early disease risk markers.
Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Norrbacka, level 3, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden. emma.patterson@ki.se
To develop a feasible, valid, reliable web-based instrument to objectively evaluate school meal quality in Swedish primary schools.
The construct 'school meal quality' was operationalized by an expert panel into six domains, one of which was nutritional quality. An instrument was drafted and pilot-tested. Face validity was evaluated by the panel. Feasibility was established via a large national study. Food-based criteria to predict the nutritional adequacy of school meals in terms of fat quality, iron, vitamin D and fibre content were developed. Predictive validity was evaluated by comparing the nutritional adequacy of school menus based on these criteria with the results from a nutritional analysis. Inter-rater reliability was also assessed.
The instrument was developed between 2010 and 2012. It is designed for use in all primary schools by school catering and/or management representatives.
A pilot-test of eighty schools in Stockholm (autumn 2010) and a further test of feasibility in 191 schools nationally (spring 2011).
The four nutrient-specific food-based criteria predicted nutritional adequacy with sensitivity ranging from 0.85 to 1.0, specificity from 0.45 to 1.0 and accuracy from 0.67 to 1.0. The sample in the national study was statistically representative and the majority of users rated the questionnaire positively, suggesting the instrument is feasible. The inter-rater reliability was fair to almost perfect for continuous variables and agreement was = 67 % for categorical variables.
An innovative web-based system to comprehensively monitor school meal quality across several domains, with validated questions in the nutritional domain, is available in Sweden for the first time.
The study was conducted to identify the enabling and barrier factors in the development of nutrition policies in Prince Edward Island elementary and consolidated schools.
A document review and in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders (n=12).
Principals were identified as important champions for change. Working group members created an interface between the school world and the nutrition world, and drew upon common philosophical ground to work together to lead the change process. Successfully navigating the process of policy development required building a case for change, testing policies in the real world, integrating healthy eating within school life, offering support to schools, engaging participants, and acknowledging the need to weigh the costs and benefits of the change. At times, external pressures on schools and available foods varied in the extent to which they enabled or challenged policy development. Finally, resource limitations, competing issues, and the use of unhealthy food as rewards were identified as the primary barriers.
The use of a consultative approach that engages key stakeholders early in the process is critical to the successful development of school nutrition policies. This approach also may be an important predictor of the long-term success of such initiatives.
To study a serviceman's satisfaction with how nutrition was organized, the author elaborated a questionnaire containing the sections "nutrition organization quality assessment" and "mess food intake condition quality assessment". Different categories of military men taking food were inquired in a mess. The affirmation "I have no after-meal heartburn" became evidence that the sample was heterogeneous. For detailed analysis, the total sample was divided into two subgroups: those who had (Subgroup 1) and had not (Subgroup 2) a burning sensation after eating. Subgroup II servicemen gave lower scores on the questions about the comfort of food intake, the quality of dishes, a general attitude towards nutrition organization in the mess than did Subgroup I. The study has verified that the developed subsistence quality assurance system is of importance. The questionnaire has provided a valid assessment of the quality of the services given by the mess and revealed a reason for low scores.
Dietary analysis of randomly selected meals from the Child Hunger and Education Program School Nutrition Program in Saskatchewan, Canada, suggests that nutrient target levels are being provided.
In Canada, school meals are regarded as important for social, educational, and nutritional reasons and have been provided for several years because of concerns about the health and welfare of children, especially those from low-income households. They are generally offered as local community organization and individual schools, are not regulated by law, and have no set national nutrition standards. The Canadian scientific literature lacks quantitative information on the nutritional adequacy of school meals. Better and more evaluation of such programs would encourage and guide administrators to assess other local programs in a similar fashion. Here, we describe the dietary assessment process of 1 school meal program in Canada and the nutritional adequacy of the meals. Throughout 10 years (1997-2007), the contents of 159 lunches and 90 breakfasts were collected mainly from elementary schools participating in the Child Hunger and Education Program Good Food, Inc's school nutrition program initiative in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. We collected, weighed, and analyzed food samples from meals served to children at participating schools. We then compared their nutrient content against standards based on the Dietary Recommended Intakes for children aged 4 to 8 and 9 to 13 years using one third of the recommendations as the standard for lunches and one fourth for breakfasts. Overall, both meals had a good nutrient profile and met the standards for most analyzed macronutrients and micronutrients throughout the years. Although energy was persistently low, vitamin and mineral contents were often above the standards, reflecting a tendency to offer nutrient-dense foods in lieu of energy-dense foods. The rigorous methodology described in this manuscript can be followed to assess other small local programs. Furthermore, the dietary assessment presented can encourage not only the implementation of school meal programs in other locations but also the assessment of already existing programs-a clear need in the scientific literature.
