Table 1.
Comparison of dining environment constructs for assessing restaurant (NEMS-R) and campus dining (NEMS-CD) venues
| Restaurant dining environment constructs*,† | Sub-score range | Campus dining environment constructs* | Sub-score range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Entrées | 0 to 9 | Healthy Entrées | 0 to 12 |
| • Main dish | • Main dish | ||
| • Main dish salad | • Main dish salad | ||
| • Low-fat/fat-free salad dressing | • Low-fat/fat-free salad dressing | ||
| Healthy Side Dishes | 0 to 15 | Healthy Side Dishes/Salad Bar | 0 to 35 |
| • Non-fried vegetables | • Non-fried vegetables | ||
| • No-added sugar fruit | • No-sugar added fruit | ||
| • Vegetarian options‡ | • Vegetarian options | ||
| • Baked chips | • Baked chips | ||
| • Whole-wheat bread | • Whole grain items (e.g., brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat bagels, pizza, and bread) | ||
| • Salad bar: fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat protein sources and low-fat or fat-free dressings at ‘salad’ and other self-serve ‘bars’ | |||
| • Healthy cereals: (<7 g sugar and/or ≥4 g fibre) | |||
| Healthy Beverages | 0 to 9 | Healthy Beverages | 0 to 18 |
| • Low- and non-fat milk | • Low- and non-fat milk plus alternatives (i.e. soya and rice) | ||
| • 100 % fruit juice | • 100 % fruit juices: number of labelled | ||
| • Diet soda | • Diet soda and other low-calorie beverages | ||
| Facilitators of Healthy Eating | 0 to 30 | Facilitators of Healthy Eating | 0 to 30 |
| • Nutrition information available | • Nutrition information available | ||
| • Signs encouraging healthy choices | • Signs encouraging healthy choices | ||
| • Reduced-size portions offered | • Reduced-size portions offered | ||
| Barriers to Healthy Eating | −15 to 0 | Barriers to Healthy Eating | −15 to 0 |
| • Signs encouraging unhealthy eating (e.g. high-fat sides) | • Signs encouraging unhealthy eating | ||
| • Signs encouraging overeating (e.g. super-size portions) | • Signs encouraging overeating | ||
| • Large portion sizes | • Large portion sizes | ||
| • All-you-can-eat | • All-you-can-eat | ||
| Price | −9 to 3 | Price | −14 to 5 |
| • Combo meals (e.g. sandwich, side and drink) | • Combo meals | ||
| • Charge to share | • Charge to share | ||
| • Reduced costs less | • Reduced portion size costs less | ||
| • Healthy foods cost more | • Healthy foods costs more | ||
| • Dining hall contracts available: full board, by meal, by food | |||
| • Salad bar priced by weight | |||
| Total NEMS-R* points | −24 to 66 | Total NEMS-CD§ points | −29 to 100 |
*Adapted from Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Restaurants (NEMS-R)( 28 ).
†Low-carb not assessed, given it is a less popular dietary management strategy; children's menus were not evaluated given the target population was the college environment.
‡Added to the original NEMS-R instrument.
§Nutrition Environment Measures Survey–Campus Dining (NEMS-CD).