Design Guidelines for Coffee Vending Machines

Walk-up-and-use-systems such as vending and self-service machines request special attention concerning an easy to use and self-explanatory user interface. In this paper we present a set of design guidelines for coffee vending machines based on the results of an expert-based usability evaluation of thirteen different models

Obesogenic Environmental Influences on Young Adults: Evidence From Randomized Dormitory Assignment

This study utilizes a natural experiment—conditionally random dormitory assignments of first-year US college students—to investigate the influence of obesogenic environmental factors in explaining changes in weight and exercise behavior during the 2009–2010 academic year. The design addresses potential selection biases resulting from the likelihood that individuals sort into built environments that match their preferences for exercise and healthy eating. We find some evidence that the food environment, specifically access to campus dining, significantly affected the weight of female students in our study. Females assigned to dormitories where the nearest campus dining hall was closed on the weekends gained about 1 lb less over the course of the year than females assigned to dormitories near dining halls that were open 7 days a week. We also find some evidence that female who lived in close proximity to a grocery store gained less weight over the course of the year. Finally, females who lived closer to campus gym reported more frequent exercise over the course of the year. We do not find significant effects of the built environment on weight changes of males in our sample, but we are cautious to draw strong conclusions from this because the male weight change in our sample was quite small

Food away from home: predicting frequency and changing selections

Since the 1970s, the rates of overweight and obesity have increased among all age groups in the US. The greatest increase has been in young adults, including college aged students, placing them at risk for early onset chronic diseases and shortened lifespans. One potential cause of the increased rates of obesity is the rise in consumption of away from home foods, which are often high in calories, saturated fat, and added sugar. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage people to eat more meals at home and to choose lower calorie meals and snacks while dining out. Two sources of away from home meals that often sell high calorie meals and snacks are fast food restaurants and vending machines. College students frequently consume foods from both. Research suggests that the affordability or financial access of fast food meals and the availability of fast food restaurants are two factors that promote the consumption of fast food meals. However, it is not known what predicts fast food consumption among college students who can access fast food meals with their meal plans. Research also suggests that providing nutrition information at fast food restaurants can lead to a reduction in the average number of calories purchased there, but it is not known if providing nutrition information at vending machines will lead to a reduction in calories purchased by college students. The purpose of this dissertation research was to identify factors associated with fast food consumption among college students and to test whether a particular strategy (i.e., providing nutrition information at the vending site) could change purchasing behavior among college students. The first study tested whether days on campus, financial access, and health consciousness were associated with the number of meals that college students obtained from fast food restaurants. In April 2013, a sample of 1246 students who were currently enrolled in a UNCG meal plan completed an online survey in which they accounted for where they obtained their past week's meals. There was a positive association between financial access as measured by the amount of flex dollars on a student's purchased meal plan and the number of meals they obtained from fast food meals restaurants in the past week. There was a negative association between a student's level of health consciousness (i.e., monitoring calorie and fat intake and using nutrition labels) and the number of meals obtained from fast food restaurants in the past week. Specifically, a one-unit increase in level of health consciousness was associated with a 23% decrease in number of fast food meals. Exposure to fast food restaurants, as measured by the number of days spent on campus in the last week, was not associated with the number of meals obtained from fast food restaurants. The second study tested the effect of a multi-component nutrition information labeling intervention at the vending site. In the fall of 2012, 18 UNCG residence halls (1 machine per hall) were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control condition. In the treatment condition, nutrition information was provided next to the vending machines, five snacks were identified on the sign as "Better Choice" items (i.e., relatively lower in saturated fat, sugar and calories compared to the other items in the machine) and a promotional email was sent to students living in those residence halls (n = 9 vending machines). In the control condition information was not provided at the vending machine and no email was sent to students living in those residence halls (n = 9 vending machines). Sales data were collected for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks during the intervention for each of the machines. At the end of the 8 weeks, the average number of calories and the proportion of Better Choice snacks sold per and post intervention was compared. No difference in either outcome was found. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of strengths and limitations of both studies, and suggestions for next steps for programming and research

Availability, Nutritional Profile and Processing Level of Food Products Sold in Vending Machines in a Spanish Public University

Background. Given the lack of data about the nutritional value and other determinants of the consumption of foods and drinks sold in vending machines in European universities and the relevance of this sector in Spain, it is necessary to obtain scientific data on this topic. The present study aimed to assess the availability, nutritional profile and processing level of food products from vending machines at a Spanish public university and to investigate differences in nutritional profile according to the cost and promotion. Methods. Cross-sectional descriptive study. Data from all products available (3894) were collected and analysed using the criteria of the Spanish Agency for Consumption, Food Safety and Nutrition and the United Kingdom nutrient profiling model. The items were also classified according to the degree of industrial processing through the NOVA system. Promotion was assessed, taking into account where products were displayed in vending machines. Results. The most common products were sweets (23.4% of the total options), coffee (20.3%) and salty snacks (11.7%). According to the combination of the two criteria used to assess nutritional profile, 48.6% of the products were classified as with low nutritional quality (LNQ). In addition, 73.8% of the items were categorised as “ultra-processed”. Foods (β = 0.31, 95% CI 0.24, 0.39, p < 0.001) and hot drinks (β = 0.46, 95% CI 0.39, 0.52, p < 0.001) with high nutritional quality (HNQ) were more likely to have higher prices than alternatives with LNQ. Both foods and cold drinks that support healthy dietary recommendations were promoted to a lesser extent than those with LNQ (p < 0.001). Conclusion. Almost half of the products were of LNQ and three-quarters had a high level of processing. Moreover, foods and cold drinks with LNQ were less expensive and more often promoted than alternatives with HNQ.This project was supported by the Vice Rector for Students and Employability of the UPV/EHU and Basque Government (2016); and the Vice Rector for Innovation, Social Outreach and Cultural Activities of the UPV/EHU (funding by the contract programme formalised with the Basque government) (grant numbers of the Campus Bizia Lab project: 17ARRO, 18ARRO, 19ARRO and 20ARRO). Open Access funding provided by the Department of Nursing of the UPV/EHU and the project Campus Bizia Lab 20ARRO

Taxing Caloric Sweetened Beverages: Potential Effects on Beverage Consumption, Calorie Intake, and Obesity

The link between high U.S. obesity rates and the overconsumption of added sugars, largely from sodas and fruit drinks, has prompted public calls for a tax on caloric sweetened beverages. Faced with such a tax, consumers may reduce consumption of these sweetened beverages and substitute nontaxed beverages, such as bottled water, juice, and milk. This study estimated that a tax-induced 20-percent price increase on caloric sweetened beverages could cause an average reduction of 37 calories per day, or 3.8 pounds of body weight over a year, for adults and an average of 43 calories per day, or 4.5 pounds over a year, for children. Given these reductions in calorie consumption, results show an estimated decline in adult overweight prevalence (66.9 to 62.4 percent) and obesity prevalence (33.4 to 30.4 percent), as well as the child at-risk-for-overweight prevalence (32.3 to 27.0 percent) and the overweight prevalence (16.6 to 13.7 percent). Actual impacts would depend on many factors, including how the tax is reflected in consumer prices and the competitive strategies of beverage manufacturers and food retailers.Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), soft drinks, soda tax, added sugars, obesity, and beverage demand, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy,

F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2005

Examines national and state obesity rates and government policies. Challenges the research community to focus on major research questions to inform policy decisions, and policymakers to pursue actions to combat the obesity crisis

F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2004

Examines national and state obesity rates and government policies. Focuses on setting a baseline of current policies and programs, and offers a comprehensive look at their range and quality

Development, Implementation, and Validation of the Health Density Vending Machine Audit Tool (HDVMAT)

Vending machines may be contributing to the obesogenic food environment. The Health Density Vending Machine Audit Tool (HDVMAT) was developed to comprehensively evaluate and score vending machines based on machine accessibility, product healthfulness, price, and promotion. A novel nutrient-dense scoring system was created to determine the healthfulness of vended snacks based upon calories and macro/micro-nutrients and of beverages based on type and/or calories. The HDVMAT was implemented in snack and beverage university machines in different states. Nutrition Environment Measures Survey-Vending (NEMS-V) was used to validate the nutrient-density score. Significant differences in HDVMAT snack and beverage scores were found between states. Overall the HDVMAT is comparable to the NEMS-V, but uses a unique nutrient-dense scoring approach to evaluate snacks and beverages along a continuum of healthfulness criteria, offering a more accurate representation of the nutritional quality of vended products

The University of Maine Food and Fitness Environment: Is It Health Promoting?

Obesity impacts one in six young adults, ages 20-29, and is a major risk factor for chronic disease. An environmental audit of the University of Maine campus was conducted to identify supports for healthful lifestyles by assessing the vending, dining, and recreation environments. Instruments developed by a multistate research team were used to determine scores and percentages for the audit. Ten buildings were assessed in the vending assessment. The mean healthful snack percentage was 17% and the mean healthful beverage percentage was 18% of total items. Two on-campus and seven off- campus dining establishments were assessed. The on-campus dining establishments scored 72% and 67%, respectively, receiving the highest scores compared to the off- campus dining establishments where Margaritas, the local Mexican restaurant, scored 43% as the lowest scored dining establishment. One on-campus and three off-campus recreation facilities were assessed. The on-campus New Balance Recreation Center scored 78%, receiving the highest score compared to the off-campus recreation facilities, where Orchard Trails fitness center scored 46% as the lowest scored recreation facility primarily due to its small size with limited offerings. The overall on-campus fitness environment scored 88%. There were barriers in the off-campus food environment for supporting healthful lifestyles. For example, restaurants lacked a variety of healthful menu options and did not promote sustainability/green eating. The off-campus food and fitness environment lacks important characteristics to be deemed health promoting. Although there are areas for improvement, the current on-campus environment at the University of Maine is health promoting