Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026
06:48
Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
Published on: July 29, 2020
5.2K
Do Higher-Quality Regulatory Measures Promote a Healthier School Food Environment?
Ana Carolyne Lima Lino Sandes1, Ariene Silvado Carmo2, Larissa L Mendes3
1Graduate Program in Nutrition and Health, Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, MG, Brazil.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|February 27, 2026
Summary
Stronger school food regulations are linked to healthier eating environments. High-quality regulations increased nutrition education and food prohibitions while decreasing unhealthy options in school canteens.
Area of Science:
- Public Health Nutrition
- Health Policy Research
- School Food Environment Analysis
Background:
- School canteens are critical environments influencing children's dietary habits.
- The impact of regulatory measures on school food environments requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the association between regulatory measure presence/quality and healthy eating promotion in Brazilian school canteens.
- To evaluate the influence of regulations on food and nutrition education, commercialization, and marketing strategies.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 2241 private elementary and secondary schools across 27 Brazilian state capitals.
- Assessment of municipal/state regulations using a quality score (≥8 indicating high quality).
- Binary logistic regression and generalized linear models used for analysis.
Main Results:
- Over half of canteens lacked regulations; only 17.8% had high-quality regulations.
- High-quality regulations correlated with increased nutrition education (OR 1.73) and food sale prohibitions (OR 2.49).
- Canteens with high-quality regulations showed lower variety of ultra-processed foods (UpCP) and higher variety of unprocessed/minimally processed foods (UMPCP).
Conclusions:
- The presence and quality of regulatory measures significantly enhance school food environments.
- Well-structured public policies, particularly high-quality regulations, positively impact healthy eating promotion in schools.
- Policy interventions are crucial for creating healthier school canteen settings.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Drug Control Governance: Regulatory Bodies and Their Impact
614
Drug control governance involves the oversight and regulation of pharmaceuticals to ensure their safety and efficacy while preventing illegal drug use and trafficking. Regulatory bodies, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union's European Medicines Agency (EMA), play a central role in this process. These agencies evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs before they can be marketed. They fund clinical trials and assess the benefits and risks associated with...
614
01:30Regulation of Food Intake
3.0K
Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
3.0K
01:25Self-Regulation
294
Self-regulation, also known as self-control, encompasses a range of cognitive and behavioral processes that allow individuals to adjust their internal states and outward actions to align with socially acceptable norms and long-term goals. It plays a fundamental role in adaptive functioning, from resisting impulsive behaviors to persisting through challenging tasks. While its benefits are widely recognized, self-regulation is not limitless. Muraven and Baumeister's theory posits that...
294
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
1.0K
Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
1.0K
01:20Lifestyle Factors and Health
546
Lifestyle factors play a critical role in maintaining overall health and preventing chronic diseases. Key elements, such as regular physical activity, a nutritious diet, and abstinence from smoking, can significantly enhance physical, mental, and emotional well-being while reducing the risk of several life-threatening conditions.
Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity, whether through structured exercise or casual activities like walking, biking, or dancing, is a cornerstone of a...
Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity, whether through structured exercise or casual activities like walking, biking, or dancing, is a cornerstone of a...
546
01:28Global Regulatory Systems
787
Global regulatory systems in bacteria enable rapid and coordinated responses to environmental changes by integrating sensory inputs with gene expression, ensuring efficient adaptation to fluctuating conditions. Key global regulatory mechanisms include regulons, two-component systems, sigma factors, and secondary messengers.Regulons and Global RegulatorsA regulon is a collection of genes and operons controlled by a common global regulator. These regulators enable bacteria to prioritize resource...
787