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Results of European Heart Network Pilot Project “A Vending Machine for a Friend”

Received: 21 April 2023     Accepted: 9 May 2023     Published: 18 May 2023
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Abstract

Children often grow up in obesogenic environments that promote unhealthy diets. Consequently, many European children are overweight. Vending machines (that usually distribute foods rich in fat, sugar, salt and calories) located in schools are one factor that contributes to this. The aim of the pilot project “A vending machine for a friend" of the Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (SIPREC) in collaboration with the Lithuanian Heart Association (LHA) and under the aegis and sponsorship of the European Heart Network (EHN), has been to regulate and improve the nutritional quality of food and beverages served in vending machines, cafeterias and school canteens. In the pilot project were included 3 Italian and 2 Lithuanian high schools. Seventy-eight Italian students and seventy-eight Lithuanian students in the 2nd and 3rd year of high school, joined the intervention group, undertaking to consume only foods and beverages from “healthy” vending machines and healthy snacks in the cafeteria, versus seventy-seven Italian students and ninety-seven Lithuanian students in the 2nd and 3rd year of high school who were part of the control group. The intervention has also included an education and training program on healthy food dedicated to the students and to the teachers. The results of the Body Mass Index (BMI) in the intervention group (-2.1% in the Italian intervention group versus +0.0% in the control group and -2.2% in the Lithuanian intervention group versus +0.5% in the control group), and of the questionnaire administered after the seminars (+53.4% of improvement in the Italian intervention group versus just +2,5% in the control group, and +21.6% of improvement in the Lithuanian intervention group versus +3% in the control group), indicates the good results achieved by the students who have participated in the project. “Healthy” vending machines together with educational programs might be a good strategy for creation of a healthy nutritional environment in high schools to tackle overweight and obesity in adolescents. Bigger studies are needed to prove concept.

Published in Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11
Page(s) 63-69
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

High-School Students, Vending Machines, Healthy Nutrition

References
[1] United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Adopted by the UN General Assembly. New York, 20 November 1989.
[2] Wilkins E, Wilson L, Wickramasinghe K, et al: European Cardiovascular Disease Statistics, 2017. Brussels: European Heart Network, 2017.
[3] WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI): Report on the fifth round on data collection, 2018-2020. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2022.
[4] Kreutz R, Dobrowolski P, Prejbisz A, et al: Lifestyle, psychological, socioeconomic and environmental factors and their impact on hypertension during the coronarovirus disease 2019 pandemic. J Hypertens 2021: 39: 1077-89.
[5] Raleigh VS: Trends in life expectancy in EU and other OECD countries. Why Are Improvements Slowing? OECD Health Working Papers 2019 doi: org/10.1787/223159ab-en.
[6] Sport, attività fisica, sedentarietà. www.istat.it 2022/12. Accessed December 1st, 2022.
[7] Children, food and nutrition. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for every child. October 2019. ISBN: 978-82-806-5003-7.
[8] Volpe M, Gallo G, Modena MG, et al: Update recommendations on cardiovascular prevention in 2022: an executive document of the Italian Society of Cardiovascular Prevention. High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev 2022; 29: 91-102.
[9] Kern DM, Auchnicloss AH, Steher MF, et al: Neighborhood prices of healthier and unhealthier foods and associations with diet quality: evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2017 doi: org/10.3390/ijerph14111394.
[10] Marathe PH, Gao HX, Close KL: American Diabetes Association standards of medical care in diabetes. J Diabetes 2017; 9: 320-324.
[11] Pierce JS, Aroian K, Caldwell C, et al: The ups and downs of parenting young children with type 1 diabetes: crowd sourcing study. Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2017; 42: 846-860.
[12] Volpe R, Natasa J, Volpe M, et al: Doctors, teachers, students, film-makers, and journalists allied in cardio-vascular prevention. Ann Public Health Res 2021; 8: 1105-9.
[13] D'Ottavio U, Fiorio M, Mongiello C, et al: Proposta di legge 2016, No. 3883. Disposizioni per garantire l'adeguatezza dell'apporto nutrizionale degli alimenti e delle bevande somministrati mediante distributori automatici situati in luoghi pubblici frequentati da minori. 2016. www.camera.it/leg17/126?idDocumento=3883.
[14] Andriukaitis V: Public Health. Breaking the chilhood obesity vicious cycle: Commission launches EU Health Award for cities, NGOs and schools. E-News 01.04.2019.
[15] Gornitza CP: Obesity isn’t an unstoppable trend - here’s what we can do differently. In: The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. 2020. www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/obesity-crisis-how-we-can-help-children-to-eat-better.
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  • APA Style

    Roberto Volpe, Sigita Glaveckaite, Gianluca Sotis, Dziugile Kersnauskaite, Kristina Sulskute, et al. (2023). Results of European Heart Network Pilot Project “A Vending Machine for a Friend”. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 11(3), 63-69. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11

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    ACS Style

    Roberto Volpe; Sigita Glaveckaite; Gianluca Sotis; Dziugile Kersnauskaite; Kristina Sulskute, et al. Results of European Heart Network Pilot Project “A Vending Machine for a Friend”. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2023, 11(3), 63-69. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11

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    AMA Style

    Roberto Volpe, Sigita Glaveckaite, Gianluca Sotis, Dziugile Kersnauskaite, Kristina Sulskute, et al. Results of European Heart Network Pilot Project “A Vending Machine for a Friend”. J Food Nutr Sci. 2023;11(3):63-69. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11,
      author = {Roberto Volpe and Sigita Glaveckaite and Gianluca Sotis and Dziugile Kersnauskaite and Kristina Sulskute and Vita Polevoda and Ingrida Dudoniene and Massimo Volpe},
      title = {Results of European Heart Network Pilot Project “A Vending Machine for a Friend”},
      journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
      volume = {11},
      number = {3},
      pages = {63-69},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20231103.11},
      abstract = {Children often grow up in obesogenic environments that promote unhealthy diets. Consequently, many European children are overweight. Vending machines (that usually distribute foods rich in fat, sugar, salt and calories) located in schools are one factor that contributes to this. The aim of the pilot project “A vending machine for a friend" of the Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (SIPREC) in collaboration with the Lithuanian Heart Association (LHA) and under the aegis and sponsorship of the European Heart Network (EHN), has been to regulate and improve the nutritional quality of food and beverages served in vending machines, cafeterias and school canteens. In the pilot project were included 3 Italian and 2 Lithuanian high schools. Seventy-eight Italian students and seventy-eight Lithuanian students in the 2nd and 3rd year of high school, joined the intervention group, undertaking to consume only foods and beverages from “healthy” vending machines and healthy snacks in the cafeteria, versus seventy-seven Italian students and ninety-seven Lithuanian students in the 2nd and 3rd year of high school who were part of the control group. The intervention has also included an education and training program on healthy food dedicated to the students and to the teachers. The results of the Body Mass Index (BMI) in the intervention group (-2.1% in the Italian intervention group versus +0.0% in the control group and -2.2% in the Lithuanian intervention group versus +0.5% in the control group), and of the questionnaire administered after the seminars (+53.4% of improvement in the Italian intervention group versus just +2,5% in the control group, and +21.6% of improvement in the Lithuanian intervention group versus +3% in the control group), indicates the good results achieved by the students who have participated in the project. “Healthy” vending machines together with educational programs might be a good strategy for creation of a healthy nutritional environment in high schools to tackle overweight and obesity in adolescents. Bigger studies are needed to prove concept.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Results of European Heart Network Pilot Project “A Vending Machine for a Friend”
    AU  - Roberto Volpe
    AU  - Sigita Glaveckaite
    AU  - Gianluca Sotis
    AU  - Dziugile Kersnauskaite
    AU  - Kristina Sulskute
    AU  - Vita Polevoda
    AU  - Ingrida Dudoniene
    AU  - Massimo Volpe
    Y1  - 2023/05/18
    PY  - 2023
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11
    T2  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
    JF  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
    JO  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
    SP  - 63
    EP  - 69
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-7293
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.11
    AB  - Children often grow up in obesogenic environments that promote unhealthy diets. Consequently, many European children are overweight. Vending machines (that usually distribute foods rich in fat, sugar, salt and calories) located in schools are one factor that contributes to this. The aim of the pilot project “A vending machine for a friend" of the Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (SIPREC) in collaboration with the Lithuanian Heart Association (LHA) and under the aegis and sponsorship of the European Heart Network (EHN), has been to regulate and improve the nutritional quality of food and beverages served in vending machines, cafeterias and school canteens. In the pilot project were included 3 Italian and 2 Lithuanian high schools. Seventy-eight Italian students and seventy-eight Lithuanian students in the 2nd and 3rd year of high school, joined the intervention group, undertaking to consume only foods and beverages from “healthy” vending machines and healthy snacks in the cafeteria, versus seventy-seven Italian students and ninety-seven Lithuanian students in the 2nd and 3rd year of high school who were part of the control group. The intervention has also included an education and training program on healthy food dedicated to the students and to the teachers. The results of the Body Mass Index (BMI) in the intervention group (-2.1% in the Italian intervention group versus +0.0% in the control group and -2.2% in the Lithuanian intervention group versus +0.5% in the control group), and of the questionnaire administered after the seminars (+53.4% of improvement in the Italian intervention group versus just +2,5% in the control group, and +21.6% of improvement in the Lithuanian intervention group versus +3% in the control group), indicates the good results achieved by the students who have participated in the project. “Healthy” vending machines together with educational programs might be a good strategy for creation of a healthy nutritional environment in high schools to tackle overweight and obesity in adolescents. Bigger studies are needed to prove concept.
    VL  - 11
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (SIPREC), Rome, Italy

  • Lithuanian Heart Association (LHA), Vilnius, Lithuania

  • Prevention Unit, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Rome, Italy

  • Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania

  • Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania

  • Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania

  • Lithuanian Heart Association (LHA), Vilnius, Lithuania

  • Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (SIPREC), Rome, Italy

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