Foods and beverages provided in out of school hours care services: an observational study

Ruth K Crowe,Susan E Furber,Marc Davis,R Glenn Weaver,Sarah T Ryan,Michael W Beets,Christine Innes-Hughes,Rebecca M Stanley,Anthony D Okely,Yasmine C Probst,Lisa Franco,Megan L Hammersley,Jennifer A Norman,Karen Wardle,Cecilia Vuong

doi:10.1186/s12889-022-12652-9

Abstract

IntroductionOut of school hours care (OSHC) is a fast-growing childcare setting in Australia, however the types of foods and beverages offered are relatively unknown. This study describes the food and beverages offered and investigates sector-level and setting-level factors which may impact OSHC in meeting the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG).MethodsThis cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in 89 OSHC services (between 2018 and 2019). Food and beverages offered, kitchen facilities and menus were captured via direct observation. Foods were categorised into five food groups or discretionary foods, based on the ADG, and frequencies determined. Short interviews with OSHC directors ascertained healthy eating policies, staff training, food quality assessment methods and food budgets. Fisher’s exact test explored the influence of sector-level and setting-level factors on food provision behaviours.ResultsDiscretionary foods (1.5 ± 0.68) were offered more frequently than vegetables (0.82 ± 0.80) (p < .001), dairy (0.97 ± 0.81) (p = .013) and lean meats (0.22 ± 0.54) (p < .001). OSHC associated with long day care and reported using valid food quality assessment methods offered more lean meats (p= .002, and p= .004). Larger organisations offered more vegetables (p = .015) and discretionary foods (p= .007). Menus with clearly worded instructions to provide fruits and vegetables daily offered more fruit (p= .009), vegetables (p < .001) and whole grains (p= .003). No other sector or setting-level factors were associated with services aligning with the ADG.ConclusionFuture interventions could benefit from trialling menu planning training and tools to assist OSHC services in NSW meet the ADG requirements.

Highlights

Out of school hours care (OSHC) is a fast-growing childcare setting in Australia, the types of foods and beverages offered are relatively unknown
This study aimed to 1) describe the types of foods and beverages offered within OSHC afterschool settings in two local health districts in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and 2) examine how foods provided by services differed by sector-level and setting-level factors
We found fruit was the most common food group offered across all observation days, discretionary foods were observed significantly more than vegetables, dairy and lean meats or their alternatives

Summary

Introduction

Out of school hours care (OSHC) is a fast-growing childcare setting in Australia, the types of foods and beverages offered are relatively unknown. This study describes the food and beverages offered and inves‐ tigates sector-level and setting-level factors which may impact OSHC in meeting the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG). Research has identified the important role that school and childcare services can play in fostering healthy food environments and promoting healthy eating practices in children [5, 6]. A number of interventions have focused on Australian schools and early childhood education and care settings (0-5 years) [6,7,8,9]. Less attention has been given to food environments within the out of school hours care (OSHC) setting for primary school aged children (5-12 years). Studies conducted within Afterschool programs across the United States of America have frequently reported less than optimal food environments, with many services not achieving healthy eating standards [10,11,12]

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