Dr Beatrice Murawski

There is a need for effective interventions that improve the health and wellbeing of school and childcare staff. This review examined the efficacy of workplace interventions to improve the dietary, physical activity and/or sleep behaviours of school and childcare staff. A secondary aim of the review was to assess changes in staff physical/mental health, productivity, and students¿ health behaviours. Nine databases were searched for controlled trials including randomised and non-randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental trials published in English up to October 2019. PRISMA guidelines informed screening and study selection procedures. Data were not suitable for quantitative pooling. Of 12,396 records screened, seven articles (based on six studies) were included. Most studies used multi-component interventions including educational resources, work-based wellness committees and planned group practice (e.g., walking groups). Multiple outcomes were assessed, findings were mixed and on average, there was moderate risk of bias. Between-group differences in dietary and physical activity behaviours (i.e., fruit/vegetable intake, leisure-time physical activity) favoured intervention groups, but were statistically non-significant for most outcomes. Some of the studies also showed differences favouring controls (i.e., nutrient intake, fatty food consumption). Additional robust studies testing the efficacy of workplace interventions to improve the health of educational staff are needed.

Objective: To identify the patterns of activity, sitting and sleep that adults engage in, the demographic and biological correlates of activity-sleep patterns and the relationship between identified patterns and self-rated health. Design and Setting: Online panel of randomly selected Australian adults (n = 2034) completing a cross-sectional survey in October-November 2013. Participants: Panel members who provided complete data on all variables were included (n = 1532). Measurements: Participants self-reported their demographic characteristics, height, weight, self-rated health, duration of physical activity, frequency of resistance training, sitting time, sleep duration, sleep quality, and variability in bed and wake times. Activity-sleep patterns were determined using latent class analysis. Latent class regression was used to examine the relationships between identified patterns, demographic and biological characteristics, and self-rated health. Results: A 4-class model fit the data best, characterized by very active good sleepers, inactive good sleepers, inactive poor sleepers, moderately active good sleepers, representing 38.2%, 22.2%, 21.2%, and 18.4% of the sample, respectively. Relative to the very active good sleepers, the inactive poor sleepers, and inactive good sleepers were more likely to report being female, lower education, higher body mass index, and lower self-rated health, the moderately active good sleepers were more likely to be older, report lower education, higher body mass index and lower self-rated health. Associations between activity-sleep pattern and self-rated health were the largest in the inactive poor sleepers. Conclusions: The 4 activity-sleep patterns identified had distinct behavioral profiles, sociodemographic correlates, and relationships with self-rated health. Many adults could benefit from behavioral interventions targeting improvements in physical activity and sleep.

Guidance for food consumption and portion control plays an important role in the global management of overweight and obesity. Carefully conceptualised serving size labelling can contribute to this guidance. However, little is known about the relationship between the information that is provided regarding serving sizes on food packages and levels of actual food consumption. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate how serving size information on food packages influences food consumption. We conducted a systematic review of the evidence published between 1980 and March 2018. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts for relevance and assessed relevant articles for eligibility in full-text. Five studies were considered eligible for the systematic review. In three of the included studies, changes in serving size labelling resulted in positive health implications for consumers, whereby less discretionary foods were consumed, if serving sizes were smaller or if serving size information was provided alongside contextual information referring to the entire package. One study did not find significant differences between the conditions they tested and one study suggested a potentially negative impact, if the serving size was reduced. The influence of labelled serving size on consumption of non-discretionary foods remains unclear, which is partially due to the absence of studies specifically focusing on non-discretionary food groups. Studies that investigate the impact of serving size labels within the home environment and across a broad demographic cross-section are required.