Abstract
BackgroundIn Bangladesh overweight and obesity among urban school children are on the rise. Urban school children tend to consume foods dense in calories and few fruits and vegetables which is associated with overweight and obesity. The current study explored the barriers and opportunities for promoting healthy diets among school children from the perspective of teachers and parents in Dhaka, Bangladesh.MethodsWe conducted 14 key informant interviews with teachers and principals, six focus group discussions with 31 mothers of school children (5 to 15 year old) and 14 structured observations of the school food environment. Inductive thematic analysis was performed manually.ResultsSchools were important for development of food preferences of children, however, most school cafeterias provided foods based on profit rather than health considerations. A shift in food culture resulted in making eating out acquire many meanings beyond convenience. Mothers, especially those who were employed, struggled to prepare healthy foods due to time pressure. Mothers were generally concerned about chemicals added to raw foods in markets which led to limited fruit and vegetable consumption.ConclusionsThere were many challenges to promoting healthy foods to school children within and outside the school. It is important to formulate policies and guidance to create a supportive environment for healthy foods in and in the proximity of schools. It is also important to educate consumers about identifying and choosing healthy foods. Laws related to food safety should be adequately implemented to boost the population’s confidence in safety of available healthy foods in the food system.
Highlights
IntroductionResearchers have suggested that characteristics of the school environment such as the availability of healthy foods, school nutrition and wellness policies and provision of nutrition education affect children’s food consumption behavior [23,24,25]
The rapid global increases of childhood overweight and obesity herald an urgent need to understand how to address childhood risk for adiposity [1,2,3]
We offered time to participants to go through the consent form and ask questions prior to the interview or Focus Group Discussion (FGD)
Summary
Researchers have suggested that characteristics of the school environment such as the availability of healthy foods, school nutrition and wellness policies and provision of nutrition education affect children’s food consumption behavior [23,24,25]. The social environment of the school and peer influence can affect food choices [20, 26, 27]. In Bangladesh school lunch policies and program have been developed as a part of social safety net to address problems of household food insecurity and primary school drop out [32, 33]. In Bangladesh overweight and obesity among urban school children are on the rise. Urban school children tend to consume foods dense in calories and few fruits and vegetables which is associated with overweight and obesity. The current study explored the barriers and opportunities for promoting healthy diets among school children from the perspective of teachers and parents in Dhaka, Bangladesh
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