Implementation of a regulatory food policy to reduce availability of energy-dense foods in Costa Rican high schools.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent to which mandatory Guidelines to improve the school food environment were being implemented in Costa Rican high schools and to explore the perspectives of key policy actors towards the Guidelines. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews and site observations. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and imported to NVivo 12 for analysis. Inductive and deductive themes were identified, and elements of the RE-AIM framework and the social process framework were used when classifying these themes. SETTING: Sixteen public high schools in San José, Costa Rica. PARTICIPANTS: High school principal and kiosk concessionaires. RESULTS: Products that did not adhere to the Guidelines were still widely available in schools, and amongst the most prevalent challenges to implementation that emerged from our interviews, were a lack of understanding of the policy content, a lack of monitoring and accountability, and competing values amongst actors which affected their views on the role that the school must have in offering a healthy food environment. CONCLUSION: Most products offered in high schools did not meet the criteria required by the mandatory Guidelines, and several contextual factors were found to influence implementation. Strengthening the implementation of the Costa Rican Guidelines will require further actions at the governmental and school levels.