Calorie counting mobile apps claim to assist in weight management by helping users monitor their diets and track activity. This study assessed quality and effectiveness of popular calorie counting apps in weight management and behaviour change. Top 20 apps were selected from Google Play store and their quality was assessed using a 55-point scoring scale on attributes like standards used, content accuracy, user interface and sources of database. The mean (±SD (standard deviation)) quality score was 36.95 (±5.65). The calorie and activity recommendations were compared with standards and over 65 per cent apps over/underestimated calorie intake. To assess effectiveness, 60 young volunteers were recruited and divided into two groups. The intervention group (n = 30) was asked to use one of the top 3 apps for 8 weeks. Pre- and post-comparisons were made with the control group (n = 28). No significant difference was noted in anthropometry or food consumption. There was increasing trend (13.33%) in physical activity in the intervention group.

(1) Information Technology (IT) Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), the largest employment sector of India, contributes to rapid economic growth. However, the work of IT employees is sedentary, and the food environments of their worksites expose them to an obesogenic environment. This study aimed to assess their metabolic and lifestyle risk factors. (2) Methods: To examine the health and nutrition status of IT employees, anthropometric, biochemical and clinical assessments were conducted among 183 employees from three IT organizations of varied operational sizes. Their health-, diet- and physical activity-related practices were assessed using a questionnaire. The prevalence of MetS was assessed. Selected biomarker levels were assessed and associated with their self-perceived stress levels. (3) Results: The median age of the employees was 30 years (26–35 years). While 44.02% of employees were overweight, 16.85% of employees were obese. About 3.89% of employees were found to be diabetic, and HDL-C levels were lower than recommended in 64.93% of employees. In all, 29.87% of the study population were considered to have metabolic syndrome since they had metabolic risk scores ≥ 3. Those with metabolic syndrome were significantly older (p = 0.000), and levels of MDA (p = 0.003), homocysteine (p = 0.001), IL-6 (p = 0.017) and IL-4 (p = 0.000) were significantly higher among them. Although the prevalence of MetS was significantly lower among those aged >30 years, the lifestyle risk factors were significantly higher among them. (4) Conclusions: The assessed parameters indicate a high risk of developing NCDs among employees in the IT industry in India. This shows the need for the modification of lifestyle and workplace food and physical activity environments.

Over the past few years, there has been a global shift in the food consumption pattern from traditional home cooked meals to ultra-processed packaged foods (UPFs). Adolescents are the most avid consumers of UPFs, with these foods comprising nearly 16.2% of total daily energy intake among Indian adolescents. Adolescence is a critical period for establishing autonomous dietary choices and habits, which often persist into adulthood and are strongly linked to long-term health outcomes, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, empowering adolescents to make informed food choices is critical for both immediate and future public health. Globally, the implementation of user-friendly food labelling has been proven to improve consumer understanding and is recognized as an effective public health strategy for promoting healthier food choices. This review aimed to assess the extent (volume of literature available) and range (the variety of research done) of evidence available on promoting food label literacy and/or healthy food choices among adolescents through education-based interventions. An extensive literature search was conducted to select relevant research articles using a predetermined inclusion criterion. The literature search was done across different databases like PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Google scholar. The databases were searched for records published between the time frame 2000 to 2024. A total of 4,380 articles were manually screened, yielding 221 titles for further review. Of these, 169 abstracts and subsequently 44 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility using software. Ultimately, 11 full-text articles met the inclusion criteria and were incorporated into the scoping review. The findings of the selected 11 studies were synthesized to highlight methods that promote food label reading and healthy food choices among adolescents. This review identified effective educational interventions for improving food label literacy and healthy food choices among adolescents commonly utilized behaviour change models, tailored content, and participatory approaches. Most interventions were school based, delivered through lectures or interactive activities, with some incorporating digital media and real food label analysis. Statistically significant improvements in food label knowledge were reported in the majority of studies, with positive impacts also observed on label use practices and food choices. These findings highlight the importance of context-specific, engaging, and theory-driven strategies in adolescent nutrition education. The study concluded that such educational interventions have been primarily conducted in schools (mode), using educational materials and food models (as media) through lecture-based delivery (method). Invariably this approach enhances food label knowledge of adolescents, however, challenges remain in translating this knowledge into long term practices and healthy food choices.

The uncontrolled spread of (mis)information, news and propaganda related to COVID 19 created an ‘infodemic’ leading to panic and unscientific practices among the mass. With the largest number of internet users in the world, India has witnessed a steep rise in the number of people seeking information on social media related to COVID-19, which reached a staggering 22.3 million by March, 2020. This study aimed to evaluate the trend of COVID-19 associated food and nutrition news search by Indian internet users between 27^th January 2020 to 30^th June 2021 (time period between the first detected COVID-19 case and the end of the second wave in India) and its impact on their perceptions and practices. The association between the change in Relative Search Volume (RSV) on Google Trends (GT) of 34 popularly searched keywords classified by the researchers under 5 different categories—“Immunity”, “Eating behavior”, “Food safety”, “Food scares and concerns” and “Covid scare” showed a steep rise in search for immunity boosters, vitamin supplement brands “ayush kadha (ayurvedic decoction) during the first wave (April- August 2020). With a brief period of decline in the search trend, it again hiked correspondingly with the growing number of positive cases during the second wave in India. An online survey conducted on adult Indian internet users (n = 572) reported high (71.9%) consumption of Vitamin C rich fruits as well as Vitamin C (68.2%) and Zinc (61.4%) supplements to boost immunity. Traditional Indian spices like ginger and garlic were used by 62.9% and 50.9% respondents respectively. Most respondents reported to rely on social media for gathering COVID-19 associated tips for boosting immunity, however those with history of COVID-19 infection reported to rely more on doctors and health professionals for information. This study highlights the need of media and health literacy to advocate for the use of health information cautiously.

The regulatory Indian environment for advertising high fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) foods and non-alcoholic beverages, on various media was reviewed. Identified national-level policies were categorised as mandatory or self-regulatory based on legal content. For each mandatory regulation, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis was undertaken to determine how existing policies could be strengthened to safeguard children from unhealthy food advertisements. Thirteen policies (nine mandatory; four self-regulatory) relevant to advertising in India were identified. Of the nine mandatory policies, Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, is the only policy that restricts HFSS food advertisements to children across all media. There are key shortfalls, including limited scope of ‘child-targeted’ advertisements and lack of criteria to define HFSS foods. A robust regulatory framework is needed to protect children from HFSS food marketing, not just what is ‘directed’ at them, with clear evidence-based food classification criteria.