Laura C Hopkins, Salam Tiba, Miranda Westrick, Carolyn Gunther
The Diet Quality of a Sample of Predominantly Racial Minority Children From Low-Income Households Is Lower During the Summer vs School Year: Results From the Project Summer Weight and Environmental Assessment Trial Substudy
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
unhealthy food consumption key driver global pandemic noncommunicable diseases ncds government tonga prioritised ncd prevention due high rates ncds kingdom research examines nature context meakai food consumed tongan children haapai using wearable cameras thirtysix randomly selected 11yearold children used wearable cameras record lives three days part wider kidscam tonga project images analysed assess participants food consumption according new data analysis protocol tonga core foods defined including breads cereals fresh fruit vegetables meat alternatives staple vegetables noncore food types included confectionery unhealthy snack foods edible ices processed meat tongan researchers led research partnership government tonga overall children observed consumed mean 45 95 ci 33 67 noncore 23 95 ci 18 29 core foods per 10 h day excluding mixed meals unhealthy snack foods confectionary cookies cakes desserts commonly consumed noncore foods fresh fruit frequently consumed core food snacking frequent eating episode observed children snacking noncore foods four times day 95 confidence interval ci 25 62 compared 18 95 ci 13 26 core food snacks per day commonly children observed eating home school road walking common sources food home children supermarket average children consumed one purchased product per day almost 90 noncore children also observed eating average less one mixed meal per day less half 452 mixed meals observed traditional foods research illustrates presence likely dominance energydense nutrientpoor ednp foods diet tongan children highlights transition traditional diet suggests children live obesogenic environment one promotes obesity normal response abnormal environment findings support efforts government tonga implementation healthy school food policy junk food taxes initiatives ban importation ednp foods study relevance pacific island nations nations concerned addressing obesity dietrelated ncds