China nutrition week survey links professional knowledge with engagement and appraisal

A nationwide cross-sectional survey of professionals involved in implementing China’s National Nutrition Week found that greater campaign knowledge was associated with broader professional engagement, greater use of campaign toolkits and more favorable appraisals of implementation. The analysis included 4,520 valid questionnaires from 5,873 submitted responses, recruited through professional networks across all 31 provincial-level administrative regions of China between September 2025 and January 2026. The findings describe statistical associations rather than demonstrating that campaign knowledge caused better implementation or improved public health.

Researchers assessed National Nutrition Week knowledge and three dimensions of professional engagement: participation mode, participation breadth and toolkit use. Participation mode distinguished engagement through online and offline channels, while breadth reflected the number of communication channels or delivery settings used. Toolkit use concerned engagement with campaign resources. Implementation appraisal represented professionals’ evaluation of how the campaign was being implemented. The study used multivariable regression, restricted cubic spline analysis and exploratory mediation analysis, with adjustment for region, sex, age group, education level, professional title and institution type.

Greater campaign knowledge was associated with a more favorable implementation appraisal, with an adjusted beta coefficient of 2.52 and a 95% confidence interval of 2.14 to 2.91. It was also associated with greater participation breadth, for which the odds ratio was 1.36 (95% CI 1.29–1.44); participation through both online and offline modes, with an odds ratio of 1.70 (95% CI 1.50–1.92); and toolkit use, with an odds ratio of 1.67 (95% CI 1.57–1.78). These results connect professional knowledge with distinct forms of engagement, but the cross-sectional design cannot establish the direction of those relationships or fully exclude reverse causation and other confounding factors.

Participation breadth had a nonlinear association with implementation appraisal. The positive association weakened beyond approximately six communication channels or delivery settings, indicating that the relationship did not increase uniformly across the measured range. The finding does not establish that additional channels are harmful or that six represents a universal threshold; it identifies a change in the observed statistical pattern within this survey. Exploratory mediation analysis indicated that the engagement indicators partly accounted for the association between campaign knowledge and implementation appraisal. The estimated mediated proportions were 20.4% for participation mode, 17.7% for participation breadth and 12.4% for toolkit use. Because the mediation analysis was exploratory, these estimates do not prove a causal mechanism. The authors concluded that future programmes may benefit from clearly defined professional roles, a well-supported mix of communication channels and delivery settings, accessible campaign toolkits, and implementation indicators capturing professional preparedness, role clarity and delivery quality.

Subject of Research: Professional knowledge, engagement and implementation appraisal during China’s National Nutrition Week

Article Title: Professional engagement and implementation appraisal in China’s national nutrition week: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Article References: Wei, Q., Yao, K., Xiao, L., Mo, H., Wang, L., Ren, M., & Wang, F. (2026). Professional engagement and implementation appraisal in China’s national nutrition week: a nationwide cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-29780-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-29780-1

Keywords: National Nutrition Week, China, cross-sectional survey, professional engagement, campaign knowledge, implementation appraisal, toolkit use, participation breadth, mediation analysis, public health campaigns, Professional, engagement