An Assessment of Government Capacity Building to Restrict the Marketing of Unhealthy Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverage Products to Children in the Region of the Americas

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Robin Lemaire¹  Vivica I. Kraak²  Valisa E. Hedrick²  Elena L. Serrano²  Fabio Da Silva Gomes³  Sofía Rincón-Gallardo Patiño³  Steven Constantinou³ 

[1] Center for Public Administration and Policy, School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;Department of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization, Washington, DC 20037, USA;

关键词: food marketing;    children;    nutrition policy;    government regulation;    capacity-building;    obesity;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph18168324

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Strategic Plan 2020–2025 committed to reduce children’s consumption of energy-dense nutrient-poor food and beverage products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) and promote healthy eating patterns to reduce malnutrition in all forms. This paper describes the capacity-building needs in PAHO’s Member States to restrict the marketing of HFSS food and beverages to children. We asked Ministries of Health officials or national institutes/departmental representatives (n = 35) to complete a 28-item web-based survey (January to July 2020). Capacity-building needs were assessed using an adapted version of the World Health Organization’s government capacity-building framework with three modules: public health infrastructure, policies and information systems. Notable achievements for the PAHO’s Plan of Action were identified. State representatives reported strong infrastructure and information systems; however, policy improvements are needed to increase comprehensive national responses. These include using a constitutional health and human rights approach within the policies, policies that document conflict of interest from non-state actors, and strengthening regulatory oversight for digital media platforms. These findings provide baseline data and we suggest priorities for further action to strengthen national governments’ capacity-building and to accelerate the development, implementation, and monitoring systems to restrict the marketing of HFSS food and non-alcoholic beverages to children in the region of the Americas.

【 授权许可】

Unknown