Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the nutritional composition of food vending machines (VM) located in university public buildings and hospitals in Asturias. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional study. LOCATION: The analysis was made of the contents of VMs located in public buildings, hospitals, and university teaching centres in the Principality of Asturias. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: After the public buildings were mapped, each of them was visited to check for the presence of the VMs. A a photograph was then taken of the food contained in them. The variables analysed were the type of products and their nutritional composition. RESULTS: The VMs of 19 buildings (12 university and 7 hospital), contained 215 foods that were grouped into 11 categories. The most frequent were "chocolates and chocolate bars" (30,2%), "cookies" (11.6%) and "chips" (11.6%). The Kcal average was 216 (SD=133.1). The mean fat, in grams was 12.52 (SD=11.21), saturated fat 4.48 (SD=3,83), sugars 11.88 (SD=31.13), fibre 1.9 (SD=2.47), proteins 3.38 (SD=3.62), and salt 0.3 (SD=0.62). A high excess of fat, saturated fat, and salt was observed, as well as a medium excess of sugars. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional quality of VM in hospitals and public university centres of the Principality of Asturias cannot be defined as healthy. Therefore, health promotion strategies could be developed with the aim of improving their nutritional composition or guiding the population/users towards the selection and consumption of healthier foods.