Monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: A proposed government healthy food environment policy index

Summary: Government action is essential to increase the healthiness of food environments and reduce obesity, diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and their related inequalities. This paper proposes a monitoring framework to assess government policies and actions for creating healthy food e...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Swinburn, B., Vandevijvere, S., Kraak, V., Sacks, G., Snowdon, W., Hawkes, C., Barquera, S., Friel, S., Kelly, B., Kumanyika, S., L'Abbé, M., Lee, Andy, Lobstein, T., Ma, J., Macmullan, J., Mohan, S., Monteiro, C., Neal, B., Rayner, M., Sanders, D., Walker, C.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/43271
_version_ 1848756644927766528
author Swinburn, B.
Vandevijvere, S.
Kraak, V.
Sacks, G.
Snowdon, W.
Hawkes, C.
Barquera, S.
Friel, S.
Kelly, B.
Kumanyika, S.
L'Abbé, M.
Lee, Andy
Lobstein, T.
Ma, J.
Macmullan, J.
Mohan, S.
Monteiro, C.
Neal, B.
Rayner, M.
Sanders, D.
Walker, C.
author_facet Swinburn, B.
Vandevijvere, S.
Kraak, V.
Sacks, G.
Snowdon, W.
Hawkes, C.
Barquera, S.
Friel, S.
Kelly, B.
Kumanyika, S.
L'Abbé, M.
Lee, Andy
Lobstein, T.
Ma, J.
Macmullan, J.
Mohan, S.
Monteiro, C.
Neal, B.
Rayner, M.
Sanders, D.
Walker, C.
author_sort Swinburn, B.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Summary: Government action is essential to increase the healthiness of food environments and reduce obesity, diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and their related inequalities. This paper proposes a monitoring framework to assess government policies and actions for creating healthy food environments. Recommendations from relevant authoritative organizations and expert advisory groups for reducing obesity and NCDs were examined, and pertinent components were incorporated into a comprehensive framework for monitoring government policies and actions. A Government Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) was developed, which comprises a 'policy' component with seven domains on specific aspects of food environments, and an 'infrastructure support' component with seven domains to strengthen systems to prevent obesity and NCDs. These were revised through a week-long consultation process with international experts. Examples of good practice statements are proposed within each domain, and these will evolve into benchmarks established by governments at the forefront of creating and implementing food policies for good health. A rating process is proposed to assess a government's level of policy implementation towards good practice. The Food-EPI will be pre-tested and piloted in countries of varying size and income levels. The benchmarking of government policy implementation has the potential to catalyse greater action to reduce obesity and NCDs. © 2013 The Authors. Obesity Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T09:15:29Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-43271
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T09:15:29Z
publishDate 2013
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-432712017-09-13T15:07:51Z Monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: A proposed government healthy food environment policy index Swinburn, B. Vandevijvere, S. Kraak, V. Sacks, G. Snowdon, W. Hawkes, C. Barquera, S. Friel, S. Kelly, B. Kumanyika, S. L'Abbé, M. Lee, Andy Lobstein, T. Ma, J. Macmullan, J. Mohan, S. Monteiro, C. Neal, B. Rayner, M. Sanders, D. Walker, C. Summary: Government action is essential to increase the healthiness of food environments and reduce obesity, diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and their related inequalities. This paper proposes a monitoring framework to assess government policies and actions for creating healthy food environments. Recommendations from relevant authoritative organizations and expert advisory groups for reducing obesity and NCDs were examined, and pertinent components were incorporated into a comprehensive framework for monitoring government policies and actions. A Government Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) was developed, which comprises a 'policy' component with seven domains on specific aspects of food environments, and an 'infrastructure support' component with seven domains to strengthen systems to prevent obesity and NCDs. These were revised through a week-long consultation process with international experts. Examples of good practice statements are proposed within each domain, and these will evolve into benchmarks established by governments at the forefront of creating and implementing food policies for good health. A rating process is proposed to assess a government's level of policy implementation towards good practice. The Food-EPI will be pre-tested and piloted in countries of varying size and income levels. The benchmarking of government policy implementation has the potential to catalyse greater action to reduce obesity and NCDs. © 2013 The Authors. Obesity Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/43271 10.1111/obr.12073 unknown
spellingShingle Swinburn, B.
Vandevijvere, S.
Kraak, V.
Sacks, G.
Snowdon, W.
Hawkes, C.
Barquera, S.
Friel, S.
Kelly, B.
Kumanyika, S.
L'Abbé, M.
Lee, Andy
Lobstein, T.
Ma, J.
Macmullan, J.
Mohan, S.
Monteiro, C.
Neal, B.
Rayner, M.
Sanders, D.
Walker, C.
Monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: A proposed government healthy food environment policy index
title Monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: A proposed government healthy food environment policy index
title_full Monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: A proposed government healthy food environment policy index
title_fullStr Monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: A proposed government healthy food environment policy index
title_full_unstemmed Monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: A proposed government healthy food environment policy index
title_short Monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: A proposed government healthy food environment policy index
title_sort monitoring and benchmarking government policies and actions to improve the healthiness of food environments: a proposed government healthy food environment policy index
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/43271