TY - JOUR T1 - Conflicts of interest among scientific foundations and societies in the field of childhood nutrition JO - Gaceta Sanitaria T2 - AU - Guzmán-Caro,Guadalupe AU - García López,Fernando J. AU - Royo-Bordonada,Miguel Ángel SN - 02139111 M3 - 10.1016/j.gaceta.2020.03.008 DO - 10.1016/j.gaceta.2020.03.008 UR - https://www.gacetasanitaria.org/en-conflicts-interest-among-scientific-foundations-articulo-S0213911120301278 AB - ObjectiveTo describe food-industry sponsorships of associations active in the field of childhood nutrition and obesity prevention in Spain in 2017-2018. MethodThe associations were located at https://www.google.es/ using the words “society”, “foundation” or “federation” in combination with the terms “nutrition”, “obesity”, “childhood”, “paediatrics” and “diabetes”. Sponsorship was defined as the declaration of funding received or the appearance of a food company logo on an association's website or in the programmes of its congresses or courses. The percentage of sponsored societies and its association with the existence of ethical codes was calculated using MS Excel. Results64% of the associations displayed some type of sponsorship, with this being most frequent among paediatric and nutrition societies, 83% and 80% respectively, and non-existent among public health societies. No association was found between the existence of an ethical code and sponsorship (odds ratio: 0.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.14-3.94). The leading corporate sponsors were Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Danone. Whereas the initiatives of sponsored societies were targeted at changing eating individual behaviours, those of unsponsored societies sought to promote changes in the food system and eating environments. ConclusionsFood industry sponsorship of foundations and scientific societies is very widespread in Spain, except among public health associations. Unlike sponsored associations, those unsponsored propose policies opposed by the food industry, which are aimed at improving the system and food and eating environments. ER -