Journal article
Hospitals lead by poor example: An assessment of snacks, soda, and junk food availability in Veterans Affairs hospitals
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), v 60, pp 70-73
01 Apr 2019
PMID: 30529884
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Objective: The Veterans Health Administration is the largest integrated health care system fully funded through the US government; however, compliance with government dietary recommendations within Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals is not well known. The aim of this study was to determine which foods are available at VA hospitals and whether these foods comply with government recommendations.
Methods: Process verification for a Freedom of Information Act request was used to assess government-run inpatient and outpatient VA hospital facilities by accessing the location, quantity, and contents of vending machines. These foods and beverages were then quantified and compared with the US Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 (eighth edition).
Results: Of the beverages supplied, 49% contained >55 g of sugar, supplying >10% of daily calories in added sugar in a single serving. Of all beverages, 50% contained >50 g of added sugar (range 17-77 g per bottle/can). The 65 available food items were comprised of 28% candy, 14% potato chips/puffed corn snacks, 11% pastries/frosted baked goods, 11% crackles/pretzels, and 8% nuts/trail mix, and the remainder consisted of jerky, pork rinds, gum, and popcorn. Nuts/trail mix and granola-items meeting nutritional guidelines-comprised five and three options in total, respectfully.
Conclusions: All VA Hospitals contain vending machines providing a majority of soda, candy, and junk foods that directly conflict with healthy food choice recommendations from US governing health bodies. Few sources meeting US dietary guidelines are available in vending machines at these government-run facilities, which serve as poor examples for patients who are attempting to follow a healthy diet. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Details
- Title
- Hospitals lead by poor example: An assessment of snacks, soda, and junk food availability in Veterans Affairs hospitals
- Creators
- Colin E. Champ - University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterNick A. Iarrobino - University of PittsburghChristopher P. Haskins - Henry Ford Hospital
- Publication Details
- Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), v 60, pp 70-73
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 4
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Radiation Oncology (and Nuclear Medicine)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000460191300013
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85057850677
- Other Identifier
- 991021897286104721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Nutrition & Dietetics