Abstract
BackgroundPrimary schools have long been identified as appropriate settings for improving the healthy eating behaviours of children and helping them develop food skills. This qualitative study explored the views of Australian primary school parents and teachers about schools’ strengths and weaknesses in promoting healthy eating and equipping children with food skills.MethodsNineteen parents and 17 teachers from Victoria participated in semi-structured interviews. Audio recordings were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis using Nvivo.ResultsThis study demonstrated that parents and teachers believed that several facilitators helped promote children’s healthy eating. These included food and nutrition education (FNE) programs, the community-based nature of schools, and teacher role modelling and the authority schools possess over children. Time scarcity, lack of teacher expertise, lack of leadership and funding were reported as barriers. School food environments such as canteens, lunch orders, fundraising events and school fairs were identified as both weaknesses and strengths by parents and teachers, which indicated inconsistent implementation of school nutrition policies across schools.ConclusionsAustralian primary schools demonstrate some useful efforts to promote healthy eating among children. However, there are numerous facilitators and barriers which impact on the promotion of healthy eating. These factors need to be addressed in order to develop healthy eating habits further among elementary students. These results provide directions for policymakers and school managers, as they point to the areas that need to be improved to assist the design of schools that better promote healthy eating among children.
Highlights
Healthy practices established at early ages, such as following a well-balanced diet with adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables, have the potential to last a lifetime [1, 2]
This paper reports on parents’ and teachers’ responses to a single question: What strengths and weaknesses do you think primary schools possess in promoting healthy eating? The methodology for both studies is outlined below
Nineteen parents of children attending a primary school in Victoria from the suburbs of Melbourne and regional areas of Victoria were interviewed
Summary
Healthy practices established at early ages, such as following a well-balanced diet with adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables, have the potential to last a lifetime [1, 2]. Australian government regulatory departments and health authorities recognise primary schools as key environments for addressing public health issues among children [12]. To date, both Federal and States Governments have made an effort to promote healthy eating through primary schools. Primary schools have long been identified as appropriate settings for improving the healthy eating behaviours of children and helping them develop food skills. This qualitative study explored the views of Australian primary school parents and teachers about schools’ strengths and weaknesses in promoting healthy eating and equipping children with food skills
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