Developing a resource registry to increase vegetable consumption in Australian children

摘要

Background: Eating a healthy and balanced diet can help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. Consecutive Australian Health Surveys have revealed Australian kids are not consuming enough vegetables each day, in fact 95% of children do not meet the recommended daily serves. The VegKIT project is a collaboration between CSIRO, Flinders University, Nutrition Australia and funded by Hort. Innovation which aims to provide an integrated nation-wide approach to deliver tools and interventions to increase children's vegetable intake. Aim: To develop a national online registry with current programs, initiatives and research focused on supporting increased vegetable consumption in children. Methods: A review of registries was completed to determine the key factors influencing the usefulness and success of online registries. This information along with stakeholder discussions with representatives from non-government, government, educators, community health professionals and researchers informed the registry design. Results: The review of registries determined usability features. Stakeholder discussions identified that end-users wanted the inclusion of credible programs that have demonstrated real-life success, as well as both small and large-scale projects from a local and international context. An evaluation tool was developed to review the effectiveness of initiatives and alignment against evidence based guidelines for increasing children's vegetable intake. Conclusion: The VegKIT Registry is a searchable electronic index of projects, resources and research that can be used by health professionals and agencies to research, plan, implement and evaluate their own initiatives and support best practice.