Estandarización de un protocolo para evaluar el entorno alimentario alrededor de instituciones de educación superior

Abstract

The influence of food environments on eating patterns is of great interest in developing public policies that promote healthy habits. This study serves as a pilot study to evaluate and monitor the food environment surrounding the Central Campus of the University of Cuenca by utilizing the “Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Restaurants (NEMS-R)” tool. The process involved adapting the NEMS-R survey protocol, followed by a reliability test through a pilot study at the “Unidad Educativa Técnico Salesiano”, where two independent authors applied the tool and assessed the interobserver reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), resulting in an ICC of 0.96. The analysis identified a low availability of healthy options with a median score of 1 on a scale of -3 to 10 (-8 to 32). Furthermore, it was noted that there were few facilitators allowing consumers to choose healthier options, as well as the presence of barriers hindering a healthier environment. Additionally, the distribution of proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables in the sampled restaurants was found to be inadequate, emphasizing the need for the implementation of public policies and regulations to promote the supply, availability, and promotion of healthy food options in restaurants and food outlets.