Hungry for more: key stakeholders' support for more stringent school food policies.

OBJECTIVE: School food policies are an important component of comprehensive strategies to address child obesity and improve children's health. Evaluations have demonstrated that these policies can be initially well accepted and appropriately implemented, however little is known about how acceptance levels may change over time. The present study aimed to re-evaluate a school food policy 10 years after its introduction to assess key stakeholders' support for various policy extensions that would strengthen the scope of the policy. DESIGN: Online surveys administered 1 year after policy introduction (n 607, 2008) and 10 years after policy introduction (n 307, 2016). SETTING: Western Australia.ParticipantsSchool principals, teachers, canteen managers and presidents of parents & citizens associations from Western Australian Government primary schools. RESULTS: At both time points, and especially at time 2 (10 years post policy implementation), high levels of support were reported for the policy and possible policy extensions. Support was strongest for an additional requirement to integrate the canteen menu with the classroom health curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that once a policy has become embedded into school practices, stakeholders may be receptive to modifications that strengthen the policy to enhance its potential effects on children's diets.

Objective assessment of compliance with a state-wide school food-service policy via menu audits.

OBJECTIVE: The Healthy Food and Drink Policy was implemented in Western Australian government schools in 2007. The aim of the present study was to assess the compliance of Western Australian school canteen menus with the policy a decade after its introduction. DESIGN: The traffic-light system that underpins the Healthy Food and Drink Policy categorises foods and drinks into three groups: 'green' healthy items, 'amber' items that should be selected carefully and 'red' items that lack nutritional value. Canteen menus were collected online and each menu item was coded as a green, amber or red choice. SETTING: Western Australia.ParticipantsOnline canteen menus from 136 primary and secondary government schools. RESULTS: The majority of audited school menus met policy requirements to include ≥60 % green items (84 %) and ≤40 % amber items (90 %), but only 52 % completely excluded red items. Overall, approximately half (48 %) of school canteen menus met all three traffic-light targets. On average, 70 % of the menu items were green, 28 % were amber and 2 % were red. Primary-school canteen menus were more likely than those from secondary schools to meet the requirements of the policy. CONCLUSIONS: While the sampled Western Australian government school canteen menus were highly compliant with most of the requirements of the Healthy Food and Drink Policy, many offered red foods and/or drinks. Providing all schools with further education about identifying red items and offering additional services to secondary schools may help improve compliance rates.

Stakeholder perceptions of a school food policy ten years on.

OBJECTIVE: To assess (i) the extent to which stakeholders have accepted and implemented a Healthy Food and Drink Policy for schools a decade after its introduction and (ii) any resulting implications for canteen profitability. DESIGN: Online survey distributed via electronic newsletter to school principals. SETTING: Western Australian public schools. SUBJECTS: Principals, teachers, canteen managers, and parents and citizens committee presidents (n 307). RESULTS: Large majorities of respondents reported that the policy has made the foods and drinks provided in schools healthier (85 %) and that the policy constitutes a good opportunity to teach children about healthy eating (90 %). Only small proportions of respondents felt it had been difficult to implement the policy in their schools (13 %) or that the policy fails to accommodate parents' rights to choose the foods consumed by their children (16 %). Most of the policy outcomes assessed in both the initial post-implementation evaluation (2008) and the 10-year follow-up evaluation (2016) demonstrated significant improvement over time. CONCLUSIONS: The study results indicate that comprehensive school food policies can favourably influence the foods and drinks provided on school premises and can be highly acceptable to key stakeholders, without adversely affecting profitability. The results are encouraging for policy makers in other jurisdictions considering the implementation of similar policies.