Participation in School Food and Nutrition Activities among Grade 6-8 Students in Vancouver

Promoting healthy school food environments and nutrition in Canada: a systematic review of interventions, policies, and programs

CONTEXT

The school food environment is a critical interface for child and adolescent nutrition, and there is a need to understand existing literature on Canadian school food environments to identify equity gaps and opportunities, and empower decision-makers to plan for future action.

OBJECTIVE

Literature on Canadian school food and nutrition interventions, policies, programs, and their effects on diets and nutritional status are synthesized and appraised in this systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

A search strategy was developed for each database used (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, Cochrane Collaboration, Canadian Electronic Library, BiblioMap), with a combination of free text and controlled vocabulary, for articles published from 1990 to 2021. Unpublished data and grey literature were also searched.

DATA EXTRACTION

Quantitative and qualitative studies with an observational or intervention study design, reviews, or program evaluations conducted in Canadian schools with participants aged 5-19.9 years were included. Key study characteristics and risk of bias were extracted independently by 2 investigators using a standardized tool.

DATA ANALYSIS

A total of 298 articles were included (n = 192 peer reviewed and 106 from the grey literature), which were mostly conducted in Ontario (n = 52), British Columbia (n = 43), and Nova Scotia (n = 28). Twenty-four interventions, 5 nonevaluated programs, and 1 policy involved Indigenous populations. Overall, 86 articles measured and reported on effectiveness outcomes, including dietary intake; anthropometry; knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and physical activity. The literature remains largely heterogenous and primarily focused on nutrition education programs that use subjective assessments to infer changes in nutrition. A key facilitator to implementation and sustainability was community engagement, whereas key barriers were staff capacity, access to resources and funding, and consistent leadership.

CONCLUSIONS

This review provides insight into Canadian school food and nutrition interventions, programs, and policies and uncovers important evidence gaps that require careful examination for future evaluations. Governments must create supportive environments that optimize nutrition for children and adolescents through equitable policies and programs.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022303255.

An examination of willingness to participate and willingness to pay for a universal school food program in the Canadian context

OBJECTIVE

To examine parents'/caregivers' willingness to participate and willingness to pay (WTP) for a cost-shared school food program (SFP) and its associated factors.

DESIGN

A quantitative survey design was used where WTP for a hypothetical SFP was elicited using a double-bounded dichotomous choice elicitation method. We used a double hurdle (logistic and truncated regression) model to examine WTP and positively or negatively associated factors.

SETTING

Saskatoon Public School Division elementary schools situated in high-, mid- or low-median-income neighbourhoods.

PARTICIPANTS

Parents or caregivers of children attending grades 1 to grade 8 in the Saskatoon Public School Division elementary schools.

RESULTS

94 % respondents were willing to participate in a SFP while less than two-thirds of participants were willing to pay for such a program. Over 90 % respondents from all the socio-economic groups were willing to participate. Multiple household income earners, higher household income, higher number of children, household food security status and higher academic attainment of parents'/caregivers predicted greater willingness to pay. Mean willingness to pay was $4·68 (CAN), and households reporting moderate or severe food insecurity were likely to be willing to pay significantly less for a SFP.

CONCLUSION

A cost-shared program might be financially sustainable in Canada if community characteristics such as household food insecurity status, economic participation of women and average household size are kept in mind while determining the price of the program.

The Good Food for Learning Universal Curriculum-Integrated Healthy School Lunch Intervention: Protocol for a Two-Year Matched Control Pre-Post and Case Study

Background

Good nutrition affects children’s health, well-being, and learning, and schools offer an important setting to promote healthy behaviors that can last a lifetime. Once children reach school age, they spend more of their waking hours in school than in any other environment. Children’s eating habits may be easier to influence than those of adults. In Canada, households with children are more likely to experience food insecurity, and school food programs that are universally available to all children can support the development of healthy eating patterns across groups of varying socioeconomic status. There is a significant gap in the rigorous community-engaged academic research on the impact of school meal programs, especially universal ones.

Objective

The aim of this population health intervention research is to study the impact of a 2-year universal, curriculum-integrated healthy school lunch program in elementary schools in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, on food consumption, dietary quality and food and nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Methods

This population health intervention study will be conducted in 2 intervention elementary schools matched with 2 control schools. We will collect preintervention data, including objective measurements of food eaten at school and food-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. This will be followed by the intervention itself, along with qualitative case studies of the intervention process in the 2 intervention schools. Then, we will collect postintervention data similar to the preintervention data. Finally, we will finish the data analysis and complete the ongoing sharing of learning from the project.

Results

This study was funded in April 2020 but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection did not begin until May 2021. The intervention will begin in September 2021 and end in June 2023, with end point data collection occurring in May and June 2023. The case study research will begin in September 2021 and will be ongoing for the duration of the intervention.

Conclusions

The opportunity we have to systematically and comprehensively study a curriculum-integrated school lunch program, as well as the promising practices for school food programs across Canada, is without precedent.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/30899

What Should Be Taught in Secondary Schools' Nutrition and Food Systems Education? Views from Prominent Food-Related Professionals in Australia

Education can help young people to attain the knowledge and the skills that they need to make proper food choices and develop lifelong healthy eating patterns. This study explored the perspectives of prominent food-related professionals in Australia regarding essential nutrition and food systems (N&FS) education programs for adolescents during formal education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 prominent food-related professionals in Australia. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically. Four essential areas for N&FS education programs were identified. (1) Key nutrition messages to a healthy lifestyle; (2) Skill development programs to enhance health and wellbeing; (3) Ethical food-related lessons to support environmental sustainability, farm animal welfare, local producers, and food security; and, (4) Introductory lessons about foods from farm to plate to facilitate more informed food choices. Findings of this study may provide new insights for curriculum developers in Australia for further assessment of the current gaps in N&FS components of secondary school curriculum. Integration of these four areas into secondary school curricula has the potential to enhance adolescents’ knowledge of important scientific and ethical issues in a range of N&FS fields, and enable them to develop fundamental food-related life skills that are supportive of health and wellbeing.