Objective: Diet and nutrition in childhood has been associated with risk of chronic disease later in life. The aim of this review was to identify key characteristics of successful experiential nutrition interventions aimed to change nutrition-related cognitive and behavioural outcomes in primary school children. Design: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was undertaken using search terms (‘food security’, ‘school’, ‘nutrition’ and ‘program’) applied to 5 scientific databases (CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline and Academic Search complete), with outcomes defined as nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and/or dietary behaviours. Participants: Primary school-aged children exposed to interventions conducted, at least partially, on school grounds. Results: A total of 3800 articles were identified from the initial search and manual searching, of which 67 articles were eligible for inclusion. Forty-two articles met the criteria of being successful, defined as achieving significant differences in outcomes of interest, accompanied by a demonstrated reach. Interventions included school gardens (n = 9), food provision (n = 5), taste tasting (n = 8), cooking classes (n = 10) and multi-component programs (n = 10). Nutrition education (when combined with taste testing), cooking-related activities and gardening interventions increased children’s willingness to taste unfamiliar foods including new fruits and vegetables, improved their cooking and food preparation skills, and increased nutritional knowledge. Conclusions: This review provides evidence that nutrition education programs in primary school children that are experiential in nature are most likely to be successful if they include multiple components, have parental involvement and focus specifically on vegetable intake.

Despite clinical guidelines recommending routine nutrition screening, malnutrition in community-living older adults remains under-recognised. This study evaluated the uptake of a model of nutritional care in older adults designed to improve the identification and management of malnutrition. A pragmatic quasi-experimental study was conducted in eight general practices in regional New South Wales between January 2017 and June 2018. Study participants comprised GPs and practice nurses who participated in a training event on the identification and management of malnutrition and patients (aged >65 years) attending the practices recruited to the study. Nutritional screening was conducted using the Mini Nutritional Assessment–Short Form. The specific objectives of the study were to: (1) evaluate the effects of the intervention on knowledge, attitudes and practices of staff related to malnutrition screening using questionnaires and in-depth interviews; and (2) identify patients’ experiences and outcome measures following malnutrition screening through self-completed surveys. Across the eight practices, 11 healthcare professionals completed in-depth interviews. Post-training knowledge surveys (n = 25) identified that knowledge increased in 96% of staff (P < 0.001). Fifty-five older adults who were screened (two malnourished, 10 ‘at risk of malnutrition’) reported an increased awareness of risk factors for malnutrition. This study provides proof-of-concept that a model of care that includes routine malnutrition screening and accompanying pathways for management is acceptable to general practice staff and has promising effects on patient outcomes. However, the low number of patients screened suggests that additional processes are required to improve feasibility (e.g. incorporation into Medicare-funded nurse-led consultations such as the 75+ Health Assessment).

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