Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Investigation of Advertising and Food Environment Surrounding Primary Schools in New Zealand(John Wiley and Sons Australia Ltd on behalf of Australian Health Promotion Association, 2025-10-01) Nicholls K; Ali A; Wham CObjective: The objective of this study is to examine food and beverage advertising and stores around New Zealand (NZ) primary schools. Methods: Food and beverage advertising and stores within 800 m of 18 primary schools in NZ were collected in August 2023. Food and beverage advertising and store characteristics were compared across low (1–3), medium (4–7) and high (8–10) decile schools, reflecting socioeconomic status. Results: ‘Non-core’ food and beverage advertisements (n = 426, 89%) outnumbered ‘core’ (n = 53, 11%) with sugar-sweetened beverages (n = 192, 40.1%) the most common category, and Coca-Cola the most common brand (n = 158, 33%, p = 0.033). Food stores were the most common location for food and beverage advertisements (97.1%, p ≤ 0.001). More food and beverage advertisements surrounded low (n = 406, 43%) and medium (n = 208, 43.4%) decile schools, with low-decile schools having more nearby advertisements (0–400 m) (n = 111, 57.5%). The most common food and beverage stores near schools were local fast-food (44.7%) and convenience stores (24.2%). Store type varied by school decile, with more convenience stores (51.9%) and fast-food chains (81.3%) near low-decile schools. Conclusions: ‘Non-core’ food and beverage advertising, local fast-food, fast-food chains and convenience stores were prevalent surrounding primary schools, particularly low and medium-decile schools. So What? These findings highlight high levels of exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising and food stores, especially surrounding schools within low and medium socioeconomic areas.Item The Effect of a 14-Day gymnema sylvestre Intervention to Reduce Sugar Cravings in Adults(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-12-12) Turner S; Diako C; Kruger R; Wong M; Wood W; Rutherfurd-Markwick K; Stice E; Ali AGymnemic-acids (GA) block lingual sweet taste receptors, thereby reducing pleasantness and intake of sweet food. Objective: To examine whether a 14-day gymnema-based intervention can reduce sweet foods and discretionary sugar intake in free-living adults. Healthy adults (n = 58) were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (INT) or control group (CON). The intervention comprised of consuming 4 mg of Gymnema sylvestre containing 75% gymnema acids, a fibre and vitamin supplement, and an associated healthy-eating guide for 14 days; participants in the CON group followed the same protocol, replacing the GA with a placebo mint. Amount of chocolate bars eaten and sensory testing were conducted before and after the 14-day intervention (post-GA or placebo dosing on days zero and 15, respectively). Food frequency questionnaires were conducted on days zero, 15 and after a 28-day maintenance period to examine any changes in intake of sweet foods. A range of statistical procedures were used to analyse the data including Chi square, t-test and two-way analysis of variance. Post dosing, INT consumed fewer chocolates (2.65 ± 0.21 bars) at day zero than CON (3.15 ± 0.24 bars; p = 0.02); there were no differences between groups at day 15 (INT = 2.77 ± 0.22 bars; CON = 2.78 ± 0.22 bars; p = 0.81). At both visits, a small substantive effect (r < 0.3) was observed in the change in pleasantness and desire ratings, with INT showing a slight increase while CON showed a small decrease over the 14-day period. No differences were found in the intake of 9 food categories between groups at any timepoint. There were no differences in consumption of low sugar healthy foods between visits, or by group. The 14-day behavioural intervention reduced pleasantness and intake of chocolate in a laboratory setting. There was no habituation to the mint over the 14-day period. This study is the first to investigate the effect of longer-term gymnema acid consumption on sweet food consumption outside of a laboratory setting; further research is needed to assess how long the effect of the 14-day intervention persists.Item Assessment of Changes in Physiological Markers in Different Body Fluids at Rest and after Exercise(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-11-05) Jesuthasan A; Ali A; Lee JKW; Rutherfurd-Markwick KPhysiological and biological markers in different body fluids are used to measure the body's physiological or pathological status. In the field of sports and exercise medicine, the use of these markers has recently become more popular for monitoring an athlete's training response and assessing the immediate or long-term effects of exercise. Although the effect of exercise on different physiological markers using various body fluids is well substantiated, no article has undertaken a review across multiple body fluids such as blood, saliva, urine and sweat. This narrative review aims to assess various physiological markers in blood, urine and saliva, at rest and after exercise and examines physiological marker levels obtained across similar studies, with a focus on the population and study methodology used. Literature searches were conducted using PRISMA guidelines for keywords such as exercise, physical activity, serum, sweat, urine, and biomarkers, resulting in an analysis of 15 studies for this review paper. When comparing the effects of exercise on physiological markers across different body fluids (blood, urine, and saliva), the changes detected were generally in the same direction. However, the extent of the change varied, potentially as a result of the type and duration of exercise, the sample population and subject numbers, fitness levels, and/or dietary intake. In addition, none of the studies used solely female participants; instead, including males only or both male and female subjects together. The results of some physiological markers are sex-dependent. Therefore, to better understand how the levels of these biomarkers change in relation to exercise and performance, the sex of the participants should also be taken into consideration.