Poor compliance with school food environment guidelines in elementary schools in Northwest Mexico: A cross-sectional study.
<h4>Background</h4>In Mexico, 35.5% of school-age children were overweight or obese in 2018. The school food environment is important because children spend a significant part of their time at school and consume one-third to one-half of their daily meals there. In 2014, a Federal Governm...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2021
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| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/839fc2d0ed484555bc5b31238ac2ea20 |
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| Sumario: | <h4>Background</h4>In Mexico, 35.5% of school-age children were overweight or obese in 2018. The school food environment is important because children spend a significant part of their time at school and consume one-third to one-half of their daily meals there. In 2014, a Federal Government guideline for the sale and distribution of food and beverages in Mexican schools was published (the AGREEMENT) but the extent of its implementation is not known.<h4>Methods</h4>Descriptive cross-sectional study in a representative, random sample of elementary schools, using the tools of the INFORMAS network. Data collection included: a) an interview with a school authority; b) a checklist of items available in the school canteen; c) a checklist of the school breakfast menu; and d) an evaluation of the physical environment. The main indicators were: percentage of implementation (self-report) of the AGREEMENT and percentage of compliance (researcher verified) with the AGREEMENT (based on tools b and c).<h4>Results</h4>119 schools participated (response rate 87.5%), with 15.1% (95%CI 9.2-22.8) of the schools reporting having fully implemented the AGREEMENT. However, only 1% (95%CI 0-5.3) of the school canteens and 71.4% (95%CI 57.8-82.7) of the school breakfast menus fully complied with the AGREEMENT. A variety of sugar-sweetened beverages and energy-dense, nutrient poor products were found in the school canteens. Further, only 43.7% of the water fountains in schools were functional and 23.4% were clean. In only 24.4% of schools had the school authorities received formal training related to the AGREEMENT and in 28.6% of schools had the parents received information about the AGREEMENT.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The AGREEMENT has been poorly implemented in elementary schools in Mexico. Actions are needed to encourage and support its full implementation to improve the food environment in Mexican schools. |
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