title: Assessment of evaluations made to healthy eating policies in Europe: a review within the EATWELL Project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify and assess healthy eating policies at national level which have been evaluated in terms of their impact on awareness of healthy eating, food consumption, health outcome or cost/benefit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of policy documents and their evaluations when available.
  
  
  METHODS
  European Member States.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty-one policy documents revised, 107 retained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 107 selected interventions, twenty-two had been evaluated for their impact on awareness or knowledge and twenty-seven for their impact on consumption. Furthermore sixteen interventions provided an evaluation of health impact, while three actions specifically measured any cost/benefit ratio. The indicators used in these evaluations were in most cases not comparable. Evaluation was more often found for public information campaigns, regulation of meals at schools/canteens and nutrition education programmes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study highlights the need not only to develop harmonized and verifiable procedures but also indicators for measuring effectiveness and success and for comparing between interventions and countries. EU policies are recommended to provide a set of indicators that may be measured consistently and regularly in all countries. Furthermore, public information campaigns should be accompanied by other interventions, as evaluations may show an impact on awareness and intention, but rarely on consumption patterns and health outcome.
authors: Department of Agricultural Economics, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. aperezcueto@gmail.com
authors: Federico J A
authors: FJ
authors: Pérez-Cueto
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Aschemann-Witzel
authors: Bhavani
authors: B
authors: Shankar
authors: José
authors: J
authors: Brambila-Macias
authors: Tino
authors: T
authors: Bech-Larsen
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Mazzocchi
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Capacci
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Saba
authors: Aida
authors: A
authors: Turrini
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Niedzwiedzka
authors: Beata
authors: B
authors: Piorecka
authors: Agniezska
authors: A
authors: Kozioł-Kozakowska
authors: Josephine
authors: J
authors: Wills
authors: W Bruce
authors: WB
authors: Traill
authors: Wim
authors: W
authors: Verbeke
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005060:Europe; D005522:Food Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018673:Nutrition Policy / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011050:Policy Making