To systematically review and map the evidence on community-based nutrition interventions implemented in humanitarian and emergency settings in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), focusing on intervention types, outcomes, evidence gaps and implications for humanitarian nutrition systems.

Systematic review and evidence mapping conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Eight electronic databases and twenty-six organisational websites were searched for studies published between 2010 and 2024. Studies are mapped by intervention and outcome categories. Findings are synthesised narratively.

Humanitarian and emergency settings in LMIC affected by conflict, fragility, displacement or natural disasters.

Women, infants, children, adolescents, caregivers and households receiving community-based nutrition interventions delivered through community health workers (CHW), volunteers, peer counsellors, care groups or other community platforms.

Fifty-three documents met inclusion criteria, including thirty-nine primary study documents representing thirty-three interventions across twenty countries and fourteen systematic reviews. Most evidence originates from Africa and focuses on community groups, nutrition counselling and community-based management of acute malnutrition. Preventive interventions generally improved infant and young child feeding practices and caregiver behaviours but showed inconsistent effects on anthropometric outcomes. Treatment interventions delivered through CHW and community volunteers improved recovery, programme coverage and treatment performance. However, evidence on dietary intake, food security, caregiver capacity, relapse prevention and longer-term outcomes remains limited.

Community-based nutrition interventions are central to extending nutrition service delivery in humanitarian settings and show strong potential to improve feeding practices and treatment outcomes. More integrated and context-sensitive evaluation frameworks are needed to strengthen evidence for resilient humanitarian nutrition programming.

To examine awareness and self-reported influence of Mexican front-of-package warning labels (FoPWL) on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among Mexican American adults in the USA.

Data were analysed from Mexican Americans in the 2022 and 2023 annual cross-sectional International Food Policy Study surveys. FoPWL awareness (≥sometimes) and reported reductions in buying cola (2022–2023), soda (2022 only) and sweetened fruit drinks (2022 only) due to FoPWL were assessed. Weighted, adjusted negative binomial models tested associations between reported reductions in SSB purchases and past 7-d SSB consumption (2022 only).

Online survey.

Mexican Americans in US aged 18–100 years (2022, n 3329; 2023, n 2972).

Overall, 43 % of participants reported being aware of FoPWL on beverages ≥ ‘sometimes,’ with higher awareness among participants with limited health literacy (v. adequate) (AOR = 1·5, p < 0·001), high (v. low) education (AOR = 1·50, p < 0·001) and more frequent Spanish language use (AOR = 1·59 p < 0·001). Self-reported purchasing less cola due to the FOPWL was also more likely among those with limited literacy (AOR = 1·28, p < 0·05) and high (v. low) education (AOR = 1·21, p < 0·05), while more frequent Spanish use was associated with reported purchasing less of all three drink categories (p < 0·001). In 2022, reported buying less of all three SSB due to the front-of-package nutrient warning labels was associated with lower SSB consumption (p < 0·001).

Mexican American adults – particularly those with lower health literacy, higher education and more frequent Spanish use – reported greater awareness of Mexico’s FoPWL on beverages and purchasing less SSB due to the labels, suggesting FoPWL could be considered for the USA.

To comprehensively assess and compare the disease burden attributable to high BMI and its epidemiological trends across Asia, Africa and Europe from 1990 to 2023.

A secondary cross-sectional and temporal trend analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study.

Countries and territories in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Population-level data from the GBD 2023 study covering the three continents.

In 2023, Asia recorded 2 877 582 deaths (95 % uncertainty interval (UI): 1 465 996–4 507 685) and 120 182 714 Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) (56 308 955–186 506 210) attributable to high BMI, with age-standardised death and DALY rates of 30·83 (14·87–49·89) and 1253·75 (573·14–1984·15) per 100 000, respectively. Europe recorded 1 675 848 deaths (791 226–2 558 882) and 49 401 025 DALY (20 994 181–77 166 219), with corresponding rates of 52·52 (24·64–80·78) and 1824·14 (773·31–2872·71). Africa recorded 1 092 682 deaths (621 669–1 602 027) and 40 278 756 DALY (21 676 314–59 084 575), with rates of 88·74 (48·06–134·85) and 2746·12 (1445·93–4106·26). From 1990 to 2023, the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) in age-standardised burden indicators showed a consistent upward trend across all three continents. High BMI primarily contributed to mortality and DALY through CVD and diabetes and kidney diseases. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) projections indicate a continuing increase in the high BMI-related disease burden over the next 17 years.

High BMI poses a significant and growing disease burden in Asia, Europe and Africa, a trend projected to persist. Implementing region-tailored interventions is crucial.

Childhood obesity has been linked to social media marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages. Apart from targeted marketing practices on social media, food and beverage companies also make use of social media influencers to market their products, blurring the lines between organic content and marketing content. This study aimed to investigate the types of commercial food and beverage products found in posts by influencers on YouTube and TikTok, as well as the marketing techniques used to promote these products.

Cross-sectional analysis. Public posts by nineteen influencers were downloaded and analysed for branded products. Nutritional information for these products was collected and analysed using the proposed South African nutrient profiling model.

Public profiles of nineteen influencers on YouTube and TikTok.

This study found that 52 % of posts contained branded food and beverages, 80 % of posts that contained marketing also contained at least one unhealthy product that would carry a warning label for being high in either sugar, saturated fat, Na or non-sugar sweeteners. Of the marketed posts, only 8 % were labelled as containing marketing. The most used marketing techniques were references to children, such as cartoons.

The study proposes that mandatory government-led regulations on the marketing of unhealthy products to children should be implemented, such as prohibiting posts featuring unhealthy products in child-directed content and mandatory disclosure of marketing if the influencer is getting paid for posting unhealthy products. These regulations should include social media and cover children up to the age of 18 years old.

In response to rising obesity rates in Peru, front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) for processed foods and beverages was implemented in 2019 as part of Law No. 30 021, with the final phase implemented in 2021, to promote healthier consumer choices. However, policy evaluations investigating implementation and effectiveness are limited. Thus, this study aimed to determine stakeholders’ perceptions of the implementation of the FOPL final phase in Peru.

Using the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, semi-structured interviews with stakeholders were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis.

Hybrid in-person and virtual interviews took place between February and March 2025.

Stakeholders from government, civil society, academia and industry were eligible to participate if involved in FOPL implementation or evaluation in Peru.

A total of twenty stakeholder interviews were conducted, and four themes were developed. Firstly, stakeholders reported that FOPL reach remained constrained by certain products and locations despite the national law. Secondly, while comprehensive impact evaluations should be prioritised, a lack of complete implementation of Law No. 30021 can impact FOPL effectiveness. Stakeholders emphasised that poor acceptance and unsupportive environments can impede effective FOPL implementation (e.g. industry/political resistance, inadequate FOPL monitoring, poor consumer knowledge and healthier alternatives). Finally, healthier environments to support effective obesity prevention were emphasised, with additional FOPL education, research, and regulation updates necessary to support sustainability.

Perceptions among stakeholders centred on prioritising future FOPL evaluation and education and on ensuring adequate resources are allocated to ensure that FOPL is properly implemented within supportive environments.

To synthesise evidence on the relationship between food insecurity and social networks among older adults, focusing on conceptualisation and measurement, analytical positionality, directionality of associations and research gaps.

A scoping review.

Global evidence.

Adults aged 60 years and older.

Sixty articles met the inclusion criteria. Research activity increased markedly after 2014, with 45 % published between 2020 and 2025. The median interval between completion of data collection and publication was 4 years. Most were conducted in high-income countries and employed quantitative designs, with limited representation from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and few focusing exclusively on older adults. Food insecurity was assessed using diverse instruments, most commonly the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM), the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Social networks were often proxied by marital status, living arrangements or perceived social support, with few studies employing validated instruments or theoretical frameworks. Most studies treated social networks as determinants of food insecurity, while reverse/bidirectional pathways, as well as more nuanced analytical positions such as networks as mediators/outcomes, were rarely explored.

This review identifies critical gaps in the evidence, including limited research in LMIC, narrow methodological approaches and a lack of attention to bidirectional pathways, which could indicate strategic entry points for food- or network-based intervention. Addressing these gaps through more diverse, globally informed approaches is essential to deepening the epidemiological understanding of how food insecurity and social networks shape ageing.

This study investigated the association between the food environment, along with other factors, and healthy diet in Thailand.

A cross-sectional national survey in Thailand (August 2022 and November 2023) used face-to-face interviews to collect socio-demographic and economic characteristics, food environment and diet data. The modified Thailand Healthy Eating Index (MTHEI) was used to measure adherence to a recommended diet of the study participants. Descriptive and multiple regression analyses were performed on the data set.

Thailand.

10 763 adults.

The average MTHEI score among participants was 61·7 out of 100, indicating a diet that needs improvement. People age 60 years and over (B = 13·430; p < 0·001), female (B = 1·344; p < 0·001), secondary-school education (B = –0·916; p0·002) and high income (B = –1·132; p < 0·001) were associated with higher MTHEI scores, when compared with their respective reference groups. People with perceived nearby access to both traditional retail and modern trade retail scored 2·1 points (p = 0·017) lower than those without such retail nearby. Whenever modern trade is present, the diet score is observed to be lower. Those with perceived nearby access to both fresh/wet market and modern trade retail scored 1·0 points lower (p = 0·044).

The findings suggest the need for government intervention to address the perceived influence of the food retail environment in residential areas particularly modern trade retail, promote fresh markets and home gardening to encourage healthy consumption of food and beverages. The government should also dedicate support for vulnerable populations, while simultaneously advancing food literacy programs.

To assess food literacy competencies and diet quality in youth adhering to vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivorous diets in Sweden and to investigate if, and which, food literacy competencies are associated with youths’ diet quality.

Cross-sectional study. Food literacy competencies (general nutrition knowledge (GNK), critical nutrition literacy (CNL) and food skills) were measured using a web-based questionnaire. A Diet Quality Index (DQI) score was calculated using usual intake data and based on alignment with the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 (NNR2023).

Gothenburg, Sweden, December 2022–January 2024.

Healthy 16–24-year-olds (n 235).

Overall, the mean (sd) GNK score was 50·8 (sd 9·3) (out of 72·0), categorised as a moderate level of GNK, and there was no difference between dietary groups. Vegans had a small, yet significantly higher CNL score v. pescatarians (3·9 (sd 0·4) v. 3·7 (sd 0·4), out of 5·0, p = 0·02). More vegans reported cooking meals at home almost daily (68·3 %) than pescatarians (38·2 %) and omnivores (34·4 %), p = 0·005. Overall, the total DQI score was high (28·9 (sd 1·5) out of 34·0) except in the section for food-based dietary guidelines (3·1 (sd 0·9) out of 6·0). Vegans had a small, yet significantly higher total DQI score v. omnivores (29·3 (sd 1·4) v. 28·5 (sd 1·5), p = 0·02). In the multivariable-adjusted regression analysis, GNK score and frequency of eating meals pre-prepared outside the home were significantly associated with total DQI score.

Youth, regardless of dietary practice, may need support to increase their food literacy competencies, including GNK, and consume higher quality diets that better align with the NNR2023 food-based dietary guidelines.

There is no salt iodisation policy in the UK but there is evidence of iodine deficiency in teenage girls and adults. Iodised salt availability was last assessed in 2009, but the use of iodised salt in processed foods on sale in the UK is unknown. This study aimed to update the availability of retail (i.e. table) iodised salt and evaluate its use in processed foods.

Availability of retail iodised salt was assessed through a market survey of ten supermarket chains, either online (n 9) or in-store (n 1). The use of iodised salt in processed foods was evaluated via ‘Google-site’ searches of the nine online supermarkets. Iodine provided from salt in processed foods was estimated assuming a salt–iodine concentration of 24 mg iodine/kg (based on WHO guidance).

UK supermarkets in 2024.

NA.

One brand of iodised table salt was sold in three supermarket chains (30 %), costing over four times the price of own-brand table salt. There were 237 processed foods containing iodised salt, which were mostly meat products (36·3 %, n 86). Iodine provision from salt in the processed foods ranged from 0·8 to 112·8 µg per portion (0·5–75 % of the 150 µg/d recommendation for adults).

Retail iodised salt is available at few UK supermarkets, and <1 % of processed foods available in the UK are made with iodised salt. Iodised salt is unlikely to be an important food source of iodine in the UK, given poor access and high cost for consumers and low use by the food industry.

To investigate the individual, social and physical environmental factors associated with snack characteristics.

Data collected using a 24-h dietary recall from the 2011–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1835 boys and 1796 girls 12–19 years) were analysed. The associations between snack energy density (ED; kJ/g) and food groups consumed at snacks with individual, social and physical environmental factors were examined using a multilevel two-part model (logistic and linear regression) stratified by sex.

Adolescents aged 12–19 years.

Nationally representative sample of US adolescents.

We found associations for snack ED and food groups consumed at snacks with the source of snacks. Snacks obtained from convenience stores, vending machines and social sources (from someone else) were more energy-dense than those from grocery stores. Additionally, adolescents had lower odds of consuming fruit at snacks obtained from convenience stores (OR (95 % CI): boys, 0·20 [0·12, 0·33]; girls, 0·31 [0·16, 0·61]) and vending machines (OR (95 % CI): girls, 0·07 [0·01, 0·56]). There were also lower odds of consumption of dairy foods at snacks outside the home (OR (95 % CI): boys, 0·69 [0·55, 0·88]; girls, 0·70 [0·53, 0·92]). Few associations with snack ED and food groups were observed for individual and social-environmental factors.

Among US adolescents, snack ED and food groups consumed at snacks were associated with the source of snacks. However, few associations were found for individual and social-environmental factors. These findings suggest that public health interventions targeting convenient stores and vending machines may encourage healthier food choices.

Healthy checkout policies set nutritional standards for store checkouts and have been implemented in three US jurisdictions. We compared four message frames, each describing a different rationale for the policy, on adults’ support for a healthy checkout policy.

Participants were randomised to one of four message frames: (1) expanding healthy choices; (2) reducing parental stress by removing unhealthy items from child eye level; (3) improving community and child health; or (4) addressing predatory marketing. We used Poisson regression with robust standard errors to examine policy support by message frame and explore variation in support by socio-demographic characteristics.

Online randomised experiment.

A convenience sample of US adults (analytic N 3978) recruited online via quota-matching to approximate national socio-demographic characteristics.

Overall, most participants (65 %) supported a healthy checkout policy. Support was moderately higher (68 %) when the policy was framed as reducing parental stress than addressing predatory marketing (64 %) or expanding healthy choices (61 %; all p < 0·05). Policy support was also higher when framed as improving community and child health (67 %) than expanding healthy choices (61 %; p < 0·01). In adjusted models, overall policy support was higher among adults with Hispanic ethnicity (68 %); incomes >$35 000 (range 66–70 %); a prediabetes or type 2 diabetes diagnosis (67 %); at least some college education (67 %) and residence in the Northeast US (70 %; all p < 0·05).

Support for a healthy checkout policy was high, especially when framed around benefits to child health. Adults with certain socio-demographic and clinical characteristics may especially support healthy checkout policies.