Let them eat (birthday) cake: reframing healthy eating in healthcare organizations.

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Title: Let them eat (birthday) cake: reframing healthy eating in healthcare organizations.
Authors: Kennedy, Laura J.1 (AUTHOR) Laura.kennedy@dal.ca, Kirk, Sara F. L.2 (AUTHOR), Sim, Meaghan3 (AUTHOR), Parsons Leigh, Jeanna1 (AUTHOR), Wong, Helen1 (AUTHOR), Mah, Catherine L.1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Global Health Promotion. Dec2025, Vol. 32 Issue 4, p15-24. 10p.
Subject Terms: *Health promotion, *Food habits, Dietetics, Organizational change, Food service management, Medical personnel, Nutrition
Abstract: Healthy eating is influenced by a myriad factors ranging from individual to societal. Healthcare organizations have recently adopted healthy eating policies to improve food environments; however, how such policies shape practice is still unknown. This qualitative study explores perspectives on continuous quality improvement (CQI) among healthcare staff and managers working in hospital foodservices post-implementation of a healthy eating policy aimed at improving food environments. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 foodservices staff at Nova Scotia Health. Participants varied in role (administrative, point-of-sale) and location (rural/urban). We analyzed findings using directed content analysis. Participants' approach to quality revealed a range of definitions of healthy eating, from health promotion efforts directed towards individual behavior change management to a broader emphasis on supportive food environments. This research also highlighted the complexity of the healthcare food environment in which health promotion was being implemented, a 'setting' as per the 'settings approach' to health promotion, but also revealing a 'setting within a setting': food environments within healthcare environments. These nested environments are alternatively more business or healthcare service-centric, within the larger healthcare environment. Healthcare practitioners' views on effective implementation of the policy also spanned many scales of healthy eating, informed by concepts within their core healthcare practice (dietetics: nutrients), the organization (historical nutrition contexts) and broader food culture (food trends and choice). This study has demonstrated that CQI for a healthier food environment within healthcare needs a broader focus to advance benchmarks for health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Global Health Promotion is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Let them eat (birthday) cake: reframing healthy eating in healthcare organizations.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Global+Health+Promotion%22">Global Health Promotion</searchLink>. Dec2025, Vol. 32 Issue 4, p15-24. 10p.
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  Data: Healthy eating is influenced by a myriad factors ranging from individual to societal. Healthcare organizations have recently adopted healthy eating policies to improve food environments; however, how such policies shape practice is still unknown. This qualitative study explores perspectives on continuous quality improvement (CQI) among healthcare staff and managers working in hospital foodservices post-implementation of a healthy eating policy aimed at improving food environments. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 foodservices staff at Nova Scotia Health. Participants varied in role (administrative, point-of-sale) and location (rural/urban). We analyzed findings using directed content analysis. Participants' approach to quality revealed a range of definitions of healthy eating, from health promotion efforts directed towards individual behavior change management to a broader emphasis on supportive food environments. This research also highlighted the complexity of the healthcare food environment in which health promotion was being implemented, a 'setting' as per the 'settings approach' to health promotion, but also revealing a 'setting within a setting': food environments within healthcare environments. These nested environments are alternatively more business or healthcare service-centric, within the larger healthcare environment. Healthcare practitioners' views on effective implementation of the policy also spanned many scales of healthy eating, informed by concepts within their core healthcare practice (dietetics: nutrients), the organization (historical nutrition contexts) and broader food culture (food trends and choice). This study has demonstrated that CQI for a healthier food environment within healthcare needs a broader focus to advance benchmarks for health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Global Health Promotion is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1177/17579759251318731
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      – SubjectFull: Dietetics
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      – TitleFull: Let them eat (birthday) cake: reframing healthy eating in healthcare organizations.
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              Text: Dec2025
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