Adolescent-parent interactions and communication preferences regarding body weight and weight management: a qualitative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study aimed to canvass the nature of adolescent-parent interactions about weight, particularly overweight, and to explore ideas of how to foster supportive discussions regarding weight, both in the home and with family doctors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A market research company was contracted to recruit and conduct a series of separate focus groups with adolescents and unrelated parents of adolescents from low-middle socio-economic areas in Sydney and a regional centre, Australia. Group discussions were audio recorded, transcribed, and then a qualitative content analysis of the data was performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nine focus groups were conducted; two were held with girls (n = 13), three with boys (n = 18), and four with parents (20 mothers, 12 fathers). Adolescent and parent descriptions of weight-related interactions could be classified into three distinct approaches: indirect/cautious (i.e. focus on eating or physical activity behaviors without discussing weight specifically); direct/open (i.e. body weight was discussed); and never/rarely discussing the subject. Indirect approaches were described most frequently by both adolescents and parents and were generally preferred over direct approaches. Parents and adolescents were circumspect but generally supportive of the potential role for family doctors to monitor and discuss adolescent weight status.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings have implications for developing acceptable messages for adolescent and family overweight prevention and treatment interventions.</p

A nutrition-oriented global value chain approach to inform diet-related chronic disease prevention in Australia

Agri-food system transformations over recent decades have been credited with delivering broad improvements in food availability, variety, and safety. They have also been linked to the rising global burden of chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Yet, surprisingly limited attention has been given to understanding agri-food system restructuring from a nutrition perspective, and to identifying opportunities to systematically reorient food supply chains in ways that support healthier diets. Nutrition{u00AD} oriented value chain approaches offer promise to address this gap and have gained traction within the international development community as a means of identifying opportunities to increase supply of, and demand for, nutritious foods to address hunger and micro-nutrient deficiencies in low and middle income countries. However, their potential to support diet-related NCD prevention efforts remains under-explored. The research outlined in this thesis sought to extend and build on the nascent area of nutrition-oriented value chains research by exploring the potential for the approach to inform diet-related NCD prevention efforts in Australia. Drawing on theoretical and methodological insights from the public health and agri-food literatures, an institutionally-enriched, nutrition-oriented global value chain (GVC) approach was developed and applied to a case study of the Australian canned deciduous fruit value chain. Rather than representing a 'best buy' from a NCD prevention perspective, this sector was selected because it offered the potential for unique and revealing insights into contemporary agri-food system dynamics in Australia. Adopting a transnational perspective, the case study encompassed the domestic supply of canned deciduous fruits within Australia (the 'domestic strand') as well as canned fruits imported from South Africa under Australian supermarket private labels (the 'import strand'). Data from semi{u00AD} structured interviews conducted with fifty-five value chain actors and key external stakeholders in Australia and South Africa were analysed using thematic coding, together with extensive secondary data on the industry from a range of sources. The nutrition-oriented GVC approach applied in this thesis provided a systematic framework through which to examine changes over the last century in the structure and organisation of the Australian canned deciduous fruit value chain, the evolving socio{u00AD} institutional environments within which this chain is embedded, and the nature of power and governance relations between key chain actors. As Neilson and Pritchard (2009) identified in South Indian tea and coffee value chains, and Oro and Pritchard (2011) in the Australian-Japan beef trade, profound restructuring within the Australian canned deciduous fruit value chain over the last century has been the result of a path-dependent co-evolution of firm strategies and institutional environments. It has involved: (i) growing supermarket power in Australia since the 1960s, with rapid private label expansion in this value chain over the last decade; (ii) consolidation and reorientation of the Australian deciduous fruit canning industry from an export-oriented to import competing sector, in the context of increased global integration and competition; and (iii) pursuit of a new firm strategy by Australia's last remaining deciduous fruit canner, SPC Ardmona, aimed at revitalising itself as a healthy fruit and vegetable-based snack food company under the ownership of Coca Cola Amatil. SPC Ardmona's strategy appeals to shoppers' desires for convenience, novelty, and health, and is aimed at expanding the range of potential eating occasions for packaged fruit products to a wider range of consumer market segments. It is supported by the Australian Government's vision for an innovative, profitable, and internationally{u00AD} competitive food manufacturing sector. However, there are potential conflicts between this shared vision and public health goals for food and agriculture in Australia. Processed fruits can play an important role in supporting population compliance with dietary guidelines for fruit consumption. Yet, their contribution to total diet quality and potential to lower or raise long-term diet-related NCD risks (such as weight gain, diabetes, and obesity), is likely to be strongly influenced by the nature, extent, and purpose of processing, as well as they ways in which they are marketed and designed to be eaten. The case study findings provide insights into what has been one of the dominant trends within the global food-consuming industries in recent decades: the proliferation of GVC's for processed, value-added food products which are marketed as 'healthy snacks'. The dietary implications of this trend remain poorly understood, as do the implications of associated GVC restructuring for value chain actors and the communities and regions in which they operate. This thesis demonstrates that nutrition-oriented value chain approaches have significant potential to address these knowledge gaps, and to support integrative public policy capable of balancing multiple societal goals for agri-food systems

Agri-food system transformations and diet-related chronic disease in Australia: a nutrition-oriented value chain approach

Attention has become increasingly focused in recent years on the role agri-food system transformations have played in driving the global diet-related chronic disease burden. Identifying the role played by the food-consuming industries (predominantly larg

Smoke and mirrors: nutrition content claims used to market unhealthy food

Nutrition content claims are statements that relate to the presence or absence of nutrients, energy or biologically active substances in food. Currently in Australia, food manufacturers are permitted to make nutrition content claims as long as they can substantiate that the food component is present at the claimed levels, that is, that the claim is honest and true. Nutrition content claims can be used by food manufacturers to market food products, whereby positive nutritional attributes are emphasised to exaggerate the nutritional quality or health benefit of the product. In this way, nutrition-related claims can be misleading, with manufacturers able to promote single nutritional attributes without disclosing the product’s less healthy characteristics

Watchdogs and ombudsmen: Monitoring the abuse of supermarket power

Self-regulation has become a mantra for both governments and private industry in the neoliberal era. Yet, problems remain in terms of supermarket accountability and control. Governments everywhere appear to be under increasing pressure to move beyond th

Australian print news media coverage of sweet, non-alcoholic drinks sends mixed health messages

Objective: This study aimed to analyse the contribution of Australian print news coverage to the public profile of sweet, non-alcoholic beverages. News media portrayal of health contributes to individuals' decision-making. The focus on sugar-sweetened beverages reflects their contribution to excessive energy intake. Methods: One year's coverage of sweet, non-alcoholic beverages by major Australian newspapers was analysed using content and frame analysis. Research questions addressed which sweet drinks are most prominently covered, what makes sweet drinks newsworthy and how are the health aspects of sweet drinks framed? Results: Fruit juice was the most widely covered sweet drink, closely followed by carbonated, sugar-sweetened soft drinks. Overall coverage was positively oriented towards sweet drinks, with fruit juice primarily portrayed as having health benefits. Some coverage mentioned risks of sweet drinks, such as obesity, tooth decay, metabolic syndrome and heart attack. Conclusions: Sweet drinks often enjoy positive coverage, with their health benefits and harms central to their ability to attract journalists' attention. However, the mix of coverage may be contributing to consumer confusion about whether it is safe and/or healthy to consume sweet non-alcoholic drinks. Implications: Framing of sweet drinks as healthy may undermine efforts to encourage individuals to avoid excess consumption of energy-dense drinks which offer few or minimal health benefits

Supermarket power, own-labels, and manufacturer counterstrategies: international relations of cooperation and competition in the fruit canning industry

Growing supermarket dominance and the expansion of own-label market share in Australia has put considerable pressure on agri-food manufacturers, and the recent movement of a number of manufacturing operations off-shore has attracted widespread attention. This paper examines the pursuit of an international manufacturing base by SPC Ardmona, one of Australia’s major fruit and vegetable processors, with a focus on strategic alliances formed with Siam Foods in Thailand and Rhodes Food Group in South Africa/Swaziland. Strategic horizontal alliances have become increasingly important for manufacturers seeking to counter retailer dominance, yet have received little attention in the agri-food literature. The two alliances examined in this paper illustrate the profound importance of prevailing societal and institutional environments in which production networks ‘touch-down’, and their influence on firm-level dynamics of trust, motivation, corporate values, and strategic objectives. Horizontal alliances can offer a promising alternative to cut-throat competition and a ‘race- to-the-bottom’ between agri-food manufacturers. However, with own-label sourcing strategies deepening competition between geographically-disparate manufacturers, identifying compatible alliance partners is likely to become an increasingly greater challenge