Eden M. Barrett

The George Institute for Global Health · Food Policy Group

Background Online grocery shopping is a growing source of food purchases in many countries. We investigated the effect of nudging consumers towards purchases of lower sodium products using a web browser extension. Methods This trial was conducted among individuals with hypertension who shopped for their groceries online in Australia. From July 202...

Ultra-processed foods (UPF), defined using the Nova classification system, are associated with increased chronic disease risk. More recently, evidence suggests the UPF subgroup of whole-grain breads and cereals is in fact linked with reduced chronic disease risk. This study aimed to explore associations of cardiometabolic risk measures with Nova UP...

Whole-grain intake is associated with reduced risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Greater understanding of major food sources of whole grains globally, and how intake has been quantified, is essential to informing accurate strategies aiming to increase consumption and reduce NCD risk. Therefore, the aim of this review was to identify the prim...

Food Compass is a nutrient profiling system used to assess the healthfulness of diverse foods, beverages and meals. Here we present a revised version of Food Compass (Food Compass 2.0) incorporating new data on specific ingredients and the latest diet–health evidence. Food Compass 2.0 has been validated against health outcomes in a population from...

Front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) on packaged foods is recommended by the World Health Organization to promote healthier diets. Our aim was to assess uptake of Australia’s FOPNL, the Health Star Rating (HSR), overall and by HSR score received (0.5 (less healthy) to 5.0 (more healthy) in 0.5 increments) after ten years of voluntary implement...

Aim To modify the Australian and New Zealand Health Star Rating to account for ultra‐processing and compare the alignment of the modified ratings with NOVA classifications and the current Australian Dietary Guidelines classifications of core (recommended foods) and discretionary (foods to limit). Methods Data was cross‐sectionally analysed for 25...

Switching between similar food and beverage products may reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). Here, using consumer data linked to 23,550 product-specific GHGe values, we estimated annual GHGe attributable to product purchases consumed at home in Australia and calculated reductions from specific switches. Potential changes to mean Health Star Rat...

Aims The Australian Dietary Guidelines are currently being revised and ultra‐processed foods have been identified as a high priority action area. To better understand how well the current Dietary Guidelines align with level of processing classifications, the aim of this study was to assess the alignment between the Australian Dietary Guidelines and...

Purpose Front-of-pack labelling systems, such as the Health Star Rating (HSR), aim to aid healthy consumer dietary choices and complement national dietary guidelines. Dietary guidelines aim to be holistic by extending beyond the individual nutrients of food, including other food components that indicate diet quality, including whole grains. We aime...

Objective: The Australian Government Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program aims to reduce tobacco use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, delivering locally tailored health promotion messages, including promoting the Quitline. We aimed to analyse data on use of the Quitline by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples nati...

Introduction Commercial tobacco use was systematically embedded as a valuable commodity through colonisation that continues to be exploited for profit by the Tobacco Industry. There have been significant declines in current smoking prevalence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 18 years and over, from 55% in 1994 to 43% in 2018–2019...

We investigated the extent of alignment between ‘healthiness’ defined by a food classification system that classifies foods and beverages primarily by their nutrient composition, the Health Star Rating (HSR) and a system that considers only the degree of processing of the product, the NOVA classification system. We used data for 25 486 products con...

Background Post-secondary education institutions, where hundreds of millions of people work and study globally, are a key setting for retail food environment interventions. Objective We aimed to synthesise the evidence for the effectiveness of retail food environment interventions in improving the healthiness of dietary behaviour of students and s...

Background: 'Food is medicine' strategies aim to integrate food-based nutrition interventions into healthcare systems and are of growing interest to healthcare providers and policy makers. 'Medically Tailored Meals' (MTM) is one such intervention, which involves the 'prescription' by healthcare providers of subsidized, pre-prepared meals for indiv...

Introduction: The consumption of gluten-free foods has continued to increase in recent years. Given their higher intake amongst individuals both with or without a medically diagnosed gluten allergy or sensitivity, it is important to understand how the nutritional quality of these foods compares against non-gluten-free foods. As such, we aimed to c...

University food environments have a strong influence on the dietary choices of students and staff. The aim of this study was to assess the food environment at a large university in Sydney, Australia. Data were collected between March and July 2022 from 27 fixed food outlets and 24 vending machines. The healthiness of the food environment was evalua...

Objective As part of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program, TIS teams provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led tobacco control in their geographic area. We aimed to estimate the percentage and number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in an area serviced by a TIS team in 2018–19. Methods We analysed weighted,...

Objectives Cardiovascular disease (CVD) events are highly preventable through appropriate treatment and disproportionally affect socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. This study quantified the relationship of socioeconomic factors to dispensing and persistent use of lipid- and blood pressure-lowering medication following hospital admission f...

Objective: To identify smoking cessation support strategies that resonate with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Design, setting and participants: A national cross-sectional survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women aged 16-49 years who were smokers or ex-smokers was conducted online during the period July to October 2020....

Objective: To describe smoking characteristics, quitting behaviour and other factors associated with longest quit attempt and the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and stop-smoking medication (SSM) in a population of Indigenous Australian women of reproductive age. Design, setting and participants: A national cross-sectional survey of Ab...

Background Smoking remains a leading cause of disease burden globally. Declining youth smoking prevalence is an essential feature of effective tobacco control; however, accurate data are required to assess progress. This study investigates bias in youth smoking prevalence estimates by respondent type (proxy-reported, self-report with parent present...

PurposeNOVA is a food classification system describing a hierarchy from minimally processed to ultra-processed foods (UPF). Research has associated intake of UPF with chronic diseases. In Australia, the primary sources of grains, both refined and whole, are breads and breakfast cereals, which are typically fortified. Most are classified as UPF, yet...

Background: Smoking remains a leading cause of disease burden globally. Falling youth smoking prevalence is critical to tobacco control; however, accurate data are required to assess progress. This study investigates bias in youth smoking prevalence estimates by respondent type (proxy-reported, self-report with parent present, or self-report indepe...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) events are highly preventable through appropriate treatment and disproportionally affect socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. This study quantified the relationship of socioeconomic factors to dispensing and persistent use of lipid- and blood pressure-lowering medication following hospital admission for a major...

Smoking is the leading contributor to the burden of disease and mortality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with an estimated 37% of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths attributed to smoking. The Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program was implemented to support people to quit smoking, prevent initiation, and reduce...

Objective: To quantify the prevalence of known health-related risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, and their relationship with social determinants. Methods: Weighted cross-sectional analysis of the 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey; Odds Ratios for cumulative...

Background Reducing youth (15-17 years) smoking uptake is critical to tobacco control; accordingly, youth smoking prevalence is a key monitoring and evaluation outcome. Many nationally representative surveys collect youth smoking behaviour data from, or in the presence of, the youth’s parent or caregiver. We aimed to quantify the potential bias con...

Methods for calculating health indicators profoundly influence understanding of and action on population health and inequities. Age-standardization can be useful and is commonly applied to account for differences in age structures when comparing health indicators across groups. Age-standardized rates have well-acknowledged limitations, including th...

Most cardiovascular disease (CVD) events can be prevented with appropriate risk management. Existing evidence suggests women are less likely than men to receive guideline-recommended medications, however data on sex-differences in preventive medication use following a CVD event are lacking. Relative risks (RRs) comparing use of blood pressure- and...

Context Cereal fiber modulates the gut microbiome and benefits metabolic health. The potential link between these effects is of interest.0 Objective The aim for this systematic review was to assess evidence surrounding the influence of cereal fiber intake on microbiome composition, microbiome diversity, short-chain fatty acid production, and risk...

Introduction Nutrition is a ‘hard’ science in two ways; the scientific rigour required for quality nutrition research, and equally, the challenges faced in evidence translation. Ways in which quality nutrition research can be synthesised and evidence effectively translated into practice were the focus of the Fourth Annual International Summit on Me...

Objective To explore associations of whole grain and cereal fibre intake to CVD risk factors in Australian adults. Design Cross-sectional analysis. Intakes of whole grain and cereal fibre were examined in association to BMI, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), serum lipid concentrations, C-reactive protein, systolic BP, fasting glucose...

Objective To investigate how intakes of whole grains and cereal fibre were associated to risk factors for CVD in UK adults. Design Cross-sectional analyses examined associations between whole grain and cereal fibre intakes and adiposity measurements, serum lipid concentrations, C-reactive protein, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, HbA1c, h...

The health benefits of whole grains and dietary fibre are well established, however intakes of both remain low across the globe. Innovative added-fibre refined grain products may present a solution to increase fibre intakes given potential sensory barriers to whole grain intake. However, to consider the efficacy of such products, or potential alter...

Objectives Whole grain intake is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors. Cereal fibre content of whole grains may be responsible, although it is not clear to what extent. Inconsistent definitions of whole grains used within previous studies, such as including bran as a whole grain source, confound findin...

Whole grain intake is associated with lower CVD risk in epidemiological studies. It is unclear to what extent cereal fibre, located primarily within the bran, is responsible. This review aimed to evaluate association between intake of whole grain, cereal fibre and bran and CVD risk. Academic databases were searched for human studies published befor...

Extensive evidence supports health benefits of cereal fibre, however globally no national intake data exists. This study aimed to determine estimates of intake and food sources of cereal fibre, and relationships to dietary fibre intake in an Australian sample population. A cereal fibre database was applied to dietary intake data from the 2011–12 Na...

Food composition data provides a useful tool to calculate nutrient intake based on reported dietary consumption. This intake data may then be analysed for associations with health outcomes. Despite evidence for favourable health outcomes associated with cereal fibre intake, there is no existing quantification of cereal fibre within the vast majorit...