title: Health-promoting vending machines: evaluation of a pediatric hospital intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Taking advantage of a natural experiment made possible by the placement of health-promoting vending machines (HPVMs), we evaluated the impact of the intervention on consumers' attitudes toward and practices with vending machines in a pediatric hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vending machines offering healthy snacks, meals, and beverages were developed to replace four vending machines offering the usual high-energy, low-nutrition fare. A pre- and post-intervention evaluation design was used; data were collected through exit surveys and six-week follow-up telephone surveys among potential vending machine users before (n=293) and after (n=226) placement of HPVMs. Chi-2 statistics were used to compare pre- and post-intervention participants' responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 90% of pre- and post-intervention participants were satisfied with their purchase. Post-intervention participants were more likely to state that nutritional content and appropriateness of portion size were elements that influenced their purchase. Overall, post-intervention participants were more likely than pre-intervention participants to perceive as healthy the options offered by the hospital vending machines. Thirty-three percent of post-intervention participants recalled two or more sources of information integrated in the HPVM concept. No differences were found between pre- and post-intervention participants' readiness to adopt healthy diets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While the HPVM project had challenges as well as strengths, vending machines offering healthy snacks are feasible in hospital settings.
authors: Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC.
authors: Andraea
authors: A
authors: Van Hulst
authors: Tracie A
authors: TA
authors: Barnett
authors: Véronique
authors: V
authors: Déry
authors: Geneviève
authors: G
authors: Côté
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Colin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001628:Beverages; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005509:Food Dispensers, Automatic; D005518:Food Preferences; D005522:Food Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058870:Food, Organic; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009753:Nutritive Value; D062410:Snacks; D055815:Young Adult