Knowledge and use of voluntary food and drink guidelines in English nurseries? Results from a nationally representative cross-sectional study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11929344 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emily Warren (0000-0002-9117-844X, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, corresponding author), Paul Boadu (0000-0001-9712-4760, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Josephine Exley (0000-0002-6501-0854, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Lorraine Williams (0000-0003-4188-3949, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Bob Erens (0000-0002-4430-954X, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Cécile Knai (0000-0001-6663-7379, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 122 |
| Pages | 102573-102573 |
| Publication date | 2023-12-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Food Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0306-9192 • E-ISSN: 1873-5657 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102573 |
| OpenAlex | W4389550340 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 22 |
Good nutrition in early life is vital for healthy development, and sets the stage for good health throughout the life-course. Most children aged 0–4 years old in the UK spend at least some time each week in an early years’ setting (EYS), such as a nursery or childminder. Unlike schools which serve older children, there are no statutory standards for the food and drinks served to the youngest children in EYS, despite the potential for greater public health gains due to early intervention. Two comprehensive, age-appropriate voluntary guidelines were developed, one called the Example Menus for Early Years Settings in England by the government and another, called Eat Better, Start Better by a charity. Both are seen as standard across the sector. To assess nurseries’ awareness and use of voluntary guidelines, including how they are used and how they can be improved upon, and examine how these vary by socioeconomic deprivation and setting types (private nurseries and voluntary, community and charity nurseries), we conducted the first nationally representative cross-sectional survey of nurseries in England via an online survey. Using frequency distributions and binomial multivariate logistic regression models, considerable discrepancies between awareness (82.6 %) and use (48.8 %) of available EYS dietary guidelines were found. A key reason for not using guidelines was ‘I know what is healthy without them.’ The question about whether following food and drink guidelines should be voluntary or statutory generated mixed findings. More research is required to understand the factors influencing nurseries’ views on whether guidelines should be voluntary or statutory
Cross-sectional study · Environmental health · Government (linguistics · Intervention (counseling · Logistic regression · Political science · Population · Public health · Socioeconomic status · Statutory law · Turnover · Child and Adolescent Health · Health Policy Implementation Science · Medicine · Nursing · School Health and Nursing Education
What Role Can Child-Care Settings Play in Obesity Prevention? A Review of the Evidence and Call for Research Efforts
The Role of Nutrition in Brain Development
Parental Influence on Eating Behavior
‘What is left…?’
The Public Health Responsibility Deal
The “Cinderella sector”
A frontline service? Nursery Schools as local community hubs in an era of austerity
Association between distance to nearest supermarket and provision of fruits and vegetables in English nurseries
Food industry influence in collaborative governance
Nutrition practices of nurseries in England. Comparison with national guidelines
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |