JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

While the retail food environment has been well studied, research surrounding the university food environment is still emerging. Existing research suggests that university food environments can influence behavioral outcomes such as students' dietary choices, which may be maintained long-term. Despite a growing interest in assessing university food environments, there is no standardized tool for completing this task. How researchers define 'healthy' when assessing university food environments needs to be clarified. This paper describes the protocol for systematically reviewing literature involving university food environment assessments.

Objective:

This paper aims to describe the protocol for a systematic review of the assessments of university food environments. The review will summarize previously used tools or methods and their implications.

Methods:

Electronic databases, including PubMed (NNLM), Cochrane Library (Wiley), Web of Science (Clarivate), APA PsycInfo (EBSCO), CINHAL Complete (EBSCO), ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health, and Google Scholar will be searched for articles published between 2012 and 2022 using combinations of related MeSH terms and keywords. The electronic databases will be supplemented by reviewing the reference list for all included articles and systematic reviews returned with our search results. The review will include all study types, including randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and other pre-post designs. Articles that examine at least one aspect of the university food environment, such as cafeterias, campus convenience stores, and vending machines, will be considered for inclusion. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts, complete a full-text review, extract data, and perform a quality assessment of included articles, with a third reviewer resolving any conflicts. The Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies (QuADS) tool will be used to determine the methodological quality of selected studies. A narrative and tabular summary of the findings will be presented. There will not be a meta-analysis due to the methodological heterogeneity of the included articles.

Results:

The initial queries of 4502 records have been executed, and papers have been screened for inclusion. Data extractions are expected to be finished by December 2023. Results are expected in 2024. The systematic review generated from this protocol will offer evidence for using different assessment tools for examining the campus food environment.

Conclusions:

This systematic review will summarize the tools and methods used to assess university food environments where many emerging adults spend a significant part of their young adult lives. The findings will highlight variations in practice and how ‘healthy’ has been defined globally. This review will provide an understanding of this unique organizational food environment with implications for practice and policy. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO (CRD42023398073)