Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in Victoria
Effective implementation of nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions can facilitate healthy food and beverage consumption by communities and populations, which can enable improvements in dietary intake and reduce disease burden. This study aimed to understand stakeholder perspectives on t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/13/2628 |
| _version_ | 1797442409815080960 |
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| author | Emalie Rosewarne Wai-Kwan Chislett Briar McKenzie Cliona Ni Mhurchu Tara Boelsen-Robinson Miranda Blake Jacqui Webster |
| author_facet | Emalie Rosewarne Wai-Kwan Chislett Briar McKenzie Cliona Ni Mhurchu Tara Boelsen-Robinson Miranda Blake Jacqui Webster |
| author_sort | Emalie Rosewarne |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Effective implementation of nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions can facilitate healthy food and beverage consumption by communities and populations, which can enable improvements in dietary intake and reduce disease burden. This study aimed to understand stakeholder perspectives on the implementation of government nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions in the Australian state of Victoria, as well as to determine enablers and barriers to successful implementation. Pre-interview questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were administered to stakeholders involved in the implementation of nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions in Victoria. The Interactive Systems Framework, which allows understanding of the infrastructure and systems needed to implement policies, was used to design the survey instruments and guide the data analysis. Forty-four stakeholders were interviewed, including program implementers, support personnel and food providers, across public sector hospitals and health services, workplaces, sport and recreation centres and schools. Though translated materials and resources have been developed for end-users to facilitate uptake and implementation, current nutrition standards were perceived to be long and complex, which hindered implementation. The existence of a government-funded implementation support service enabled action by providing technical support, troubleshooting and capacity-building. A specific pathway for successful guideline implementation was determined through the analysis. Opportunities to close the policy-implementation gap were identified. This will be crucial to maximising the impact of nutrition standards on population diets and reducing diet-related disease. Strengthening the guidelines and their governance, streamlining the support system and overcoming barriers within and outside of implementing organisations, are urgently required to propel statewide progress. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:42:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fed0926a9a0f459dbd1ac975b4f284ee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:42:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-fed0926a9a0f459dbd1ac975b4f284ee2023-11-30T22:17:47ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-06-011413262810.3390/nu14132628Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in VictoriaEmalie Rosewarne0Wai-Kwan Chislett1Briar McKenzie2Cliona Ni Mhurchu3Tara Boelsen-Robinson4Miranda Blake5Jacqui Webster6The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2006, AustraliaThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2006, AustraliaThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2006, AustraliaThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2006, AustraliaGlobal Obesity Centre, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, AustraliaGlobal Obesity Centre, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, AustraliaThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2006, AustraliaEffective implementation of nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions can facilitate healthy food and beverage consumption by communities and populations, which can enable improvements in dietary intake and reduce disease burden. This study aimed to understand stakeholder perspectives on the implementation of government nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions in the Australian state of Victoria, as well as to determine enablers and barriers to successful implementation. Pre-interview questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were administered to stakeholders involved in the implementation of nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions in Victoria. The Interactive Systems Framework, which allows understanding of the infrastructure and systems needed to implement policies, was used to design the survey instruments and guide the data analysis. Forty-four stakeholders were interviewed, including program implementers, support personnel and food providers, across public sector hospitals and health services, workplaces, sport and recreation centres and schools. Though translated materials and resources have been developed for end-users to facilitate uptake and implementation, current nutrition standards were perceived to be long and complex, which hindered implementation. The existence of a government-funded implementation support service enabled action by providing technical support, troubleshooting and capacity-building. A specific pathway for successful guideline implementation was determined through the analysis. Opportunities to close the policy-implementation gap were identified. This will be crucial to maximising the impact of nutrition standards on population diets and reducing diet-related disease. Strengthening the guidelines and their governance, streamlining the support system and overcoming barriers within and outside of implementing organisations, are urgently required to propel statewide progress.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/13/2628nutrition standardsfood procurementpolicy implementationpublicly funded institutions |
| spellingShingle | Emalie Rosewarne Wai-Kwan Chislett Briar McKenzie Cliona Ni Mhurchu Tara Boelsen-Robinson Miranda Blake Jacqui Webster Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in Victoria Nutrients nutrition standards food procurement policy implementation publicly funded institutions |
| title | Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in Victoria |
| title_full | Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in Victoria |
| title_fullStr | Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in Victoria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in Victoria |
| title_short | Understanding Enablers and Barriers to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards in Publicly Funded Institutions in Victoria |
| title_sort | understanding enablers and barriers to the implementation of nutrition standards in publicly funded institutions in victoria |
| topic | nutrition standards food procurement policy implementation publicly funded institutions |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/13/2628 |
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