Acceptability and feasibility of strategies to promote healthy dietary choices in UK secondary school canteens: a qualitative study

Abstract

Objective To explore the acceptability and feasibility of choice architecture strategies for dietary change in UK secondary school canteens from the perspectives of pupils, school staff and catering providers through qualitative focus groups and interviews. Results Three focus groups with adolescents (n = 15) and eight interviews with school staff and caterers recruited from one school and catering provider in Coventry UK were undertaken. Convenience, presentation and value for money were the main drivers for food and drink purchases in this school setting; while the most acceptable choice architecture strategies for intervening to drive healthy dietary choices are those that make use of proximity and positioning. Challenges to the feasibility of nudge strategies included concerns about behavioural issues, increased food waste, and a decline in uptake of canteen purchases. Acknowledging adolescents’ desire for autonomy and for food to be familiar and predictable was considered important. The design of food choice architecture interventions for secondary school settings should consider the specific characteristics of this age group and setting to ensure successful implementation.

Changing the food environment in secondary school canteens to promote healthy dietary choices: a qualitative study with school catering staff

“…Student engagement in the design of menu items and introduction of CA strategies was seen as essential. Our ndings align with those of other qualitative research with pupils and secondary school staff, which highlight food placement strategies, pricing strategies focused on value-for-money, enhancing visual appeal and increasing portability of healthy items as potentially important strategies in this setting (19,(28)(29)(30)(31)(32).…”

“…A visual aid, comprising images and brief explanations of 33 selected CA strategies was sent to participants in advance and used during the interview to support discussion. Both topic guide (additional le 1) and visual aid (see Table 1) were developed from previous research conducted on this topic (19)(20)(21)(22)(23) and selected strategies for inclusion were based on an existing CA framework (24). Interviews were recorded using a digital audio recorder and were transcribed verbatim by an external transcription service.…”