Academic Journal
Προβολή σε EDS
Συνδεδεμένο Πλήρες Κείμενο

Menu Assessment in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Conversation With Australian Early Childhood Nutrition Professionals.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Menu Assessment in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Conversation With Australian Early Childhood Nutrition Professionals.
Συγγραφείς: Clark P; Department of Health, Public Health Services, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia., Meerding N; Department of Health, Public Health Services, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia., DePaoli K; Department of Health, Public Health Services, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia., Galloway C; Department of Health, Public Health Services, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Πηγή: Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals [Health Promot J Austr] 2026 Jul; Vol. 37 (3), pp. e70199.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Wiley Country of Publication: Australia NLM ID: 9710936 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1036-1073 (Print) Linking ISSN: 10361073 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Health Promot J Austr Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: 2018- : Milton, Queensland : Wiley
Original Publication: West Perth, WA : Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Child Day Care Centers*/standards , Menu Planning*/standards , Nutritionists*, Humans ; Australia ; Nutrition Policy ; Child, Preschool ; Interviews as Topic ; Female
Περίληψη: Issue Addressed: Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services that provide food play a crucial role in the nutritional health of the children they care for. However, the wording of the standards, regulations and guidelines to support nutritious food provision in Australian ECECs are open to interpretation. The menu assessment process is also resource intensive and inconsistently managed across jurisdictions (e.g., free government service in some jurisdictions and fee-for-service through not-for-profit or private business elsewhere). This study explores how Australian nutrition professionals manage the menu assessment process in different jurisdictions and their level of support for developing a nationally consistent, simplified menu assessment process.
Methods: Australian early childhood nutrition professionals with experience in conducting ECEC menu assessments or developing nutrition guidelines for this setting were eligible for this study. Participants were identified through convenience and snowball sampling. Semi-structured online interviews, each lasting 45 min, were conducted. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematic analysis performed using inductive and deductive coding.
Results: Thirteen early childhood nutrition professionals working in Australia participated, with at least one representative from each jurisdiction. The study found significant variation in menu assessment processes despite nutrition professionals following similar guidelines. Respondents highlighted the perceived aspirational nature of the nutrition guidelines, barriers to achieving them, such as cost, literacy and computer literacy, and possible benefits of simplified assessment tools and methods. The study also identified other themes such as the importance of responsive feeding and consideration of the broader food environment.
Conclusions: Current processes for conducting ECEC menu assessments vary across Australia. There was consensus among the ECEC nutrition professionals interviewed for developing a nationally consistent, simplified menu assessment process. SO WHAT?: A nationally consistent, simplified menu assessment process could improve the quality of food provision in ECEC services, reduce the current resource-intensive and inconsistent approaches across jurisdictions and strengthen nutrition outcomes for the children in their care. This research will inform future menu assessment processes in Tasmania.
(© 2026 Australian Health Promotion Association.)
References: National Health and Medical Research Council, Infant Feeding Guidelines: Information for Health Workers (NHMRC, 2012), https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022‐09/170131_n56_infant_feeding_guidelines.pdf.
A. K. Ventura and J. Worobey, “Early Influences on the Development of Food Preferences,” Current Biology 23, no. 9 (2013): R401–R408, https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0960‐9822%2813%2900208‐X.
National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Dietary Guidelines (National Health and Medical Research Council, 2013), https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022‐09/n55_australian_dietary_guidelines.pdf.
S. Anzman‐Frasca, A. K. Ventura, S. Ehrenberg, and K. P. Myers, “Promoting Healthy Food Preferences From the Start: A Narrative Review of Food Preference Learning From the Prenatal Period Through Early Childhood,” Obesity Reviews 19, no. 4 (2018): 576–604, https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12658.
M. L. Hammersley, L. Buchanan, H. Xu, and L. M. Wen, “Early Childhood Dietary Intake and Subsequent Socioemotional and Cognitive School Readiness Among Australian Children,” Health Education & Behavior 49, no. 5 (2022): 861–870.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Dietary Behaviour, 2022 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2023), https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health‐conditions‐and‐risks/dietary‐behaviour/latest‐release.
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Flinders University, Nutrition Australia, Evidence Summary for Health Practitioners (VegKIT, 2020), https://www.vegkit.com.au/globalassets/vegkit/documents/community‐‐public‐health/evidence‐summary‐‐‐for‐health‐practitioners.pdf.
A. Spence, P. Love, R. Byrne, et al., “Childcare Food Provision Recommendations Vary Across Australia: Jurisdictional Comparison and Nutrition Expert Perspectives,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 18 (2020): 6793.
L. K. Bell, G. A. Hendrie, J. Hartley, and R. K. Golley, “Impact of a Nutrition Award Scheme on the Food and Nutrient Intakes of 2‐ tO 4‐Year‐Olds Attending Long Day Care,” Public Health Nutrition 18, no. 14 (2015): 2634–2642.
National Nutrition Council, Health and Joy From Food ‐ Meal Recommendations for Early Childhood Education and Care (National Institute for Health and Welfare, 2018), https://www.julkari.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/135969/URN_ISBN_978‐952‐343‐033‐4.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Department of Education, Child Care Subsidy Data Report – June Quarter 2024 (Department of Education, 2024), https://www.education.gov.au/early‐childhood/early‐childhood‐data‐and‐reports/quarterly‐reports‐usage‐services‐fees‐and‐subsidies/child‐care‐subsidy‐data‐report‐june‐quarter‐2024.
Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, Guide to the National Quality Framework (Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2024), https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024‐10/Guide‐to‐the‐NQF‐241001‐web‐b.pdf.
New South Wales Government, Education and Care Services National Regulations (2011 SI 653) (New South Wales Government, 2011), https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl‐2011‐0653#ch.4‐pt.4.2‐div.1.
National Nutrition Network – Early Childhood Education and Care, Achieving Equality and Equity in the Provision of Food and Nutrition Support in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings: Opportunities and Actions for System Change in Australia (Edith Cowan University, 2023), https://www.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/1021810/KBG‐NNN‐EVIDENCE‐BRIEF‐No1‐D.09.pdf.
Dietitians Australia, Equitable Access to Nutrition and Dietetic Services for Early Childhood Education and Care: Call to Action 2024 (Dietitians Australia, 2024), https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/media/102.
National Nutrition Network ‐ Early Childhood Education and Care, “Submission 95 to the Productivity Commission Inquiry Into Early Childhood Education and Care,” (2023), https://assets.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/360114/sub095‐childhood.pdf.
S. M. Ravitch and N. M. Carl, “Qualitative Research: Bridging the Conceptual, Theoretical, and Methodological,” in Thousand Oaks (CA) (SAGE Publications, 2019).
A. J. Bingham, “From Data Management to Actionable Findings: A Five‐Phase Process of Qualitative Data Analysis,” International Journal of Qualitative Methods 22 (2023): 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231183620.
National Health and Medical Research Council, A Modelling System to Inform the Revision of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (National Health and Medical Research Council, 2011), https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022‐10/n55c_australian_dietary_guidelines_food_modelling_140121.pdf.
National Health and Medical Research Council, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand (National Health and Medical Research Council, 2006), https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient‐reference‐values.
R. Pérez‐Escamilla, E. Y. Jimenez, and K. G. Dewey, “Responsive Feeding Recommendations: Harmonizing Integration Into Dietary Guidelines for Infants and Young Children,” Current Developments in Nutrition 5, no. 6 (2021): 1–5.
T. A. Nicklas, Y. Liu, J. E. Stuff, J. O. Fisher, J. A. Mendoza, and C. E. O'Neil, “Characterizing Lunch Meals Served and Consumed by Pre‐School Children in Head Start,” Public Health Nutrition 16, no. 12 (2013): 2169–2177.
L. Matwiejczyk, K. Mehta, and J. Coveney, “Factors Influencing Food Service Provision Decisions in Centre‐Based Early Childhood Education and Care Services: Cooks' Perspective,” Health Promotion Journal of Australia 32, no. 1 (2021): 107–116.
M. Lewis, L. M. Herron, M. D. Chatfield, et al., “Healthy Food Prices Increased More Than the Prices of Unhealthy Options During the COVID‐19 Pandemic and Concurrent Challenges to the Food System,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 4 (2023): 3146, https://www.mdpi.com/1660‐4601/20/4/3146.
R. A. Byrne, K. Baxter, S. Irvine, et al., “Feeding Practices in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Settings,” Public Health Nutrition 25, no. 2 (2021): 303–311.
Department of Social Services, Early Years Strategy 2024–2034 (Department of Social Services, 2024), https://www.dss.gov.au/early‐years‐strategy/resource/early‐years‐strategy‐2024‐2034.
Department of Social Services, Early Years Strategy 2024–2034: First Action Plan 2024–2027 (Department of Social Services, 2024), https://www.dss.gov.au/system/files/documents/2024‐12/eys‐first‐action‐plan.pdf.
National Nutrition Network ‐ Early Childhood Education and Care, A Case for Mapping Food Provision Across Jurisdictions and ECEC Services and Settings (Edith Cowan University, 2022), https://www.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/1021811/KBG‐NNN‐POLICYBRIEF‐No2‐D.05.pdf.
K. Thorpe, A. H. Potia, B. Searle, et al., “Meal Provision in Early Childhood Education and Care Programs: Association With Geographic Disadvantage, Social Disadvantage, Cost, and Market Competition in an Australian Population,” Social Science & Medicine 312 (2022): 115317.
Grant Information: Tasmanian Department of Health
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: childcare; early childhood education and care; guidelines; menu assessment; nutrition; quality improvement
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260521 Date Completed: 20260717 Latest Revision: 20260717
Update Code: 20260717
DOI: 10.1002/hpja.70199
PMID: 42165111
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
Περιγραφή
ISSN:1036-1073
DOI:10.1002/hpja.70199