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OBJECTIVES: Tertiary education students have been found to experience a higher prevalence of food insecurity than the general population. This systematic review aims to examine the existing evidence on the association between food insecurity and dietary outcomes among higher education students. METHODS: Nine electronic databases and gray literature were searched. Studies that reported dietary outcomes (e.g., nutritional intake and meal patterns) in students of differing food security status in tertiary education settings in any country were included. All primary study designs were eligible for inclusion, except for qualitative studies. Two reviewers completed the title/abstract and full-text screening, data extraction, and quality assessment independently. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies were included in the final qualitative synthesis of this review. The prevalence of food insecurity among higher education students ranged from 21% to 82% across the included studies from the United States, Canada, Australia and Greece. Lower intakes of healthy foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and higher intakes of unhealthy foods (e.g., fast foods, added sugars, and sugar-sweetened beverages) were observed in food-insecure students. Some students also consumed less breakfast and evening meal than food-secure students but the evidence was limited. The overall diet quality was not consistently measured in students with different food security status by using validated dietary assessment tools. CONCLUSIONS: Poorer dietary outcomes were found in higher education students with food insecurity compared with food-secure students. More policy interventions, effective nutrition education, and food assistance programs should be provided by tertiary education institutions and governments to target the nutritional needs of food-insecure students. FUNDING SOURCES: This review received no specific funding.

AIM: Dietetic intervention delivered by Accredited Practising Dietitians is demonstrated to improve clinical outcomes of type 2 diabetes. The aim of the present study was to assess the accessibility to dietetic intervention for people with type 2 diabetes in Australia. METHODS: Prevalence data and dietitian workforce distribution data were sourced from Diabetes Australia and Dietitians Association of Australia, respectively. Geographical information system mapping and statistical analysis were used to compare the ratios of dietitians to people with type 2 diabetes across the states of Australia and by index of socio‐economic advantage and disadvantage in each state. RESULTS: An inequitable distribution of the dietetic workforce and that of the people with type 2 diabetes across Australia was demonstrated. An uneven distribution of the workforce is evidenced across states when compared to the distribution of type 2 diabetes prevalence; with New South Wales having a better ratio than Victoria and South Australia. Maps and prevalence data revealed the dietetic workforce was mostly concentrated in affluent urban centres whereas the type 2 diabetes prevalence rates were higher in rural and remote areas and in areas of lower socio‐economic status. CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights the need to address the limited access to dietetic intervention for those in rural, remote and disadvantaged areas which also have the greatest need. The financial burden of treating diabetic complications on the national health budget necessitates government initiatives. These should include better use of telehealth dietetic consultations and incentives for dietitians to work in rural, remote and disadvantaged areas.

Young adulthood is a period of transition, which for many includes higher education. Higher education is associated with specific risks to wellbeing. Understanding the available data on wellbeing in this group may help inform the future collection of data to inform policy and practice in the sector. This scoping review aimed to identify the availability of data sources on the wellbeing of the Australian young adult population who are attending tertiary education. Using the methods of Arksey and O'Malley, data from three primary sources, i.e., Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and relevant longitudinal studies, were identified. Data sources were screened and coded, and relevant information was extracted. Key data for eight areas related to wellbeing, namely, family and community, health, education and training, work, economic wellbeing, housing, crime and justice, and culture and leisure sources were identified. Forty individual data sets from 16 surveys and six active longitudinal studies were identified. Two data sets contained seven of the areas of wellbeing, of which one was specific to young adults in tertiary education, while the other survey was not limited to young adults. Both data sets lacked information concerning crime and justice variables, which have recently been identified as being of major concern among Australian university students. We recommend that government policy address the collection of a comprehensive data set encompassing each of the eight areas of wellbeing to inform future policy and practice.

The obesogenic food environment is likely driving excessive weight gain in young adults. Our study aimed to investigate the nutritional quality of current food and drink offerings in an Australian university. This cross-sectional study included baseline environmental audits of 30 food outlets and 62 vending machines across campus. A recent food and drink benchmark for health facilities by state government was used to classify the food and beverage offerings. It recommended food outlets and vending machines to offer at least 75% 'Everyday' (healthy) and less than 25% 'Occasional' (less healthy) foods and drinks. Sugary drinks and options with large portion sizes and unhealthy ingredients should be removed from sale. Only two beverage vending machines and none of the food outlets met the full recommendations. The overall proportions of Everyday and Occasional foods in food outlets were 35% and 22%, respectively with 43% falling into the category that should not be sold. Sugary drinks occupied a third of beverage varieties in outlets and 38% of beverage slots in vending machines. The current university food environment was poorly compliant with the existing benchmark. Specific food policy in the university setting may be needed to make healthier choices more accessible to young adults.

Online food delivery usage has soared during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has seen increased demand for home-delivery during government mandated stay-at-home periods. Resulting implications from COVID-19 may threaten decades of development gains. It is becoming increasingly more important for the global community to progress toward sustainable development and improve the wellbeing of people, economies, societies, and the planet. In this perspective article, we discuss how the rising use of these platform-to-consumer delivery operations may impede advances toward the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, online food delivery services may disrupt SDGs that address good health and wellbeing, responsible consumption and production, climate action and decent work and economic growth. To mitigate potential negative impacts of these meal delivery apps, we have proposed a research and policy agenda that is aligned with entry points within a systems approach identified by the World Health Organization. Food industry reforms, synergised public health messaging and continuous monitoring of the growing impact of online food delivery should be considered for further investigation by researchers, food industry, governments, and policy makers.

Purpose: This study investigated whether participants in a 6-month telephone-based coaching program, who set physical activity, nutrition, and weight loss goals had better outcomes in these domains. Design: Quasi-experimental design. Setting: The Australian Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service (GHS), a free population-wide telephone health-coaching service that includes goal setting as a key component of its coaching program. Participants: Consenting GHS coaching participants who had completed coaching between February 2009 and December 2012 (n = 4108). Measures: At baseline, participants select a goal for the coaching program, and sociodemographic variables are collected. Self-reported weight, height, waist circumference, physical activity, and nutrition-related behaviors are assessed at baseline and 6 months. Analysis: Descriptive analysis was performed on key sociodemographic variables, and the relationship between goal type and change in health outcomes was assessed using a series of linear mixed models that modeled change from baseline to 6 months. Results: Participants who set goals in relation to weight management and physical activity achieved better results in these areas than those who set alternate goals, losing more than those who set alternate goals (1.5 kg and 0.9 cm in waist circumference) and increasing walking per week (40 minutes), respectively. There was no difference in food-related outcomes for those that set nutrition-related goals. Conclusion: Goal setting for weight management and increasing physical activity in the overweight and obese population, undertaken in a telephone-based coaching program, can be effective.

Young adults are the highest consumers of food prepared outside home (FOH) and gain most weight among Australian adults. One strategy to address the obesogenic food environment is menu labelling legislation whereby outlets with >20 stores in one state and >50 Australia-wide must display energy content in kJ. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of FOH to the energy and macronutrients, saturated fat, total sugars and sodium intakes of young Australians. One thousand and one 18 to 30-year-olds (57% female) residing in Australia's most populous state recorded all foods and beverages consumed and the location of preparation for three consecutive days using a purpose-designed smartphone application. Group means for the daily consumption of energy, percentage energy (%E) for protein, carbohydrate, total sugars, total and saturated fats, and sodium density (mg/1000 kJ) and proportions of nutrients from FOH from menu labelling and independent outlets were compared. Overall, participants consumed 42.4% of their energy intake from FOH with other nutrients ranging from 39.8% (sugars) to 47.3% (sodium). Independent outlets not required to label menus, contributed a greater percentage of energy (23.6%) than menu labelling outlets (18.7%, p < 0.001). Public health policy responses such as public education campaigns, extended menu labelling, more detailed nutrition information and reformulation targets are suggested to facilitate healthier choices.