FEAST

Project Title: Development of tools to measure observed and perceived food service environments in Singapore- the Food Environment Assessment in Singapore Tool (FEAST) project

Background

Poor dietary behaviors account for a large proportion of premature deaths and disability globally, and the role of environmental factors in shaping food choices is now increasingly being acknowledged. Aligned with this, there is a growing recognition for the need to monitor food environments similar to routine population risk-factor surveillance. With over 70% of the adult population eating out on a daily basis, food service environments such as hawker centers and workplace or school canteens are key areas to monitor in Singapore. There are also national efforts to improve the nutritional quality of meals sold outside. However appropriate tools for assessing such environments are lacking. Available tools for monitoring food service environments are primarily designed for Western restaurants and are unable to sufficiently characterize hawker center environments.  In addition, while there is a growing understanding that perceptions about food environments may interact with the objective food environment to influence food choices, appropriate tools to measure food environment perceptions in Asian settings are lacking

Project aims

  1. To develop a tool to assess the healthfulness of common food service environments in Singapore, namely hawker centres and similarly structured food service environments such as food courts and workplace canteens.(FEAST-O: Food Environment Assessment in Singapore Tool -observed)
  2. To adapt existing tools to measure the perceived food environment.(FEAST-P: Food Environment Assessment in Singapore Tool – Perceived)
  3. To assess the reliability and validity of these instrument.

Potential impact

The availability of valid and reliable tools to evaluate observed and perceived food service environments is crucial for establishing exposure-outcome associations, for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, and for monitoring these food service environments. The availability of online food environment tools which presents information in an accessible manner can help administrators of setting such as hospitals and schools to self-evaluate and improve their food environments.

Presentation/Publication

ISBNPA 2019 conference

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Last updated Sep 7, 2020