Compliance with school nutrition policy in Saudi Arabia: a quantitative study

Aldubayan, Khalid; Murimi, Mary

doi:10.26719/emhj.18.034

Cited by 38 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…As a result, health‐related policies, including those related to adolescents, in Saudi Arabia are affected. Most of the adolescent general and topic‐specific policies are not implemented 120 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Policies targeting specific determinants, such as standards for health promoting schools and prohibition of tobacco sales to minors, are the only somewhat related policies 119 . However, these policies still need improvement in terms of implementation and compliance 120 . A recent study investigated the compliance with school nutrition policy in Saudi Arabia and revealed that meals offered in Saudis schools come pre‐packaged with minimal cooking in schools.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the Institute of Medicine (IOM) standards, 96.1% of the schools scored in category 1 (low alignment). The study concluded, “While the Saudi policy is clear on what should not be served in school cafeterias, it fails to provide guidance on what must be served to improve the nutritional value of meals provided” 120 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and social determinants of overweight and obesity in adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review

Habbab

Bhutta

2020

Clinical Obesity

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Summary Obesity in adolescents has a serious impact later in life in the form of disturbances in health and wellbeing. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity (Ow/Ob) in Saudi adolescents and to construct an ecological model of social determinants (SDs) of Ow/Ob and evaluate current evidence of their effect on Saudi adolescents. A systematic review of literature reported up until 31 December 2018 on Ow/Ob and factors that can influence them in Saudi adolescents was conducted. Fifty‐one studies with n = 97 666 adolescents (55.6% males) were reviewed. The prevalence of Ow/Ob started off high and continued to increase over time. Most of the 49 reviewed SDs reports, from 19 studies, showed positive association between SDs constructed ecological model and Ow/Ob in Saudi adolescents. The prevalence of Ow/Ob among adolescents is a major public health problem in Saudi Arabia, is growing at an alarming rate and SDs play a significant role in this problem, and should be considered in all strategies targeting it. The constructed ecological model for SDs of Ow/Ob in adolescents can serve as a useful exploratory tool that helps investigating the multi‐faceted aetiology of adolescent Ow/Ob and facilitates the development of effective intervention and prevention programmes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and social determinants of overweight and obesity in adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review

Habbab

Bhutta

2020

Clinical Obesity

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“…This could be due to better quality food and drink options sold at private school canteens and more organized food set-up. However, a recent study conducted on Saudi public high schools in Riyadh found that the actual implementation of and compliance with the guidelines on school canteen food and drink regulations published by the Ministry of Education in coordination with the Ministry of Health is limited [ 43 ]. None of the schools from the aforementioned study sold any fruits or vegetables, and instead commonly sold croissants, potato chips, fried foods, and confectionery, all of which are energy-dense nutrient-poor foods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breakfast Eating Habits and Lifestyle Behaviors among Saudi Primary School Children Attending Public Versus Private Schools

Jabri¹,

Alrasheedi²,

Alsulaimani³

et al. 2021

Children

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We investigated breakfast eating habits and lifestyle behaviors among Saudi school children attending public versus private schools. A random sample of 1149 children (girls: 54.4%) from public and private schools was selected from elementary schools using the multistage stratified cluster method. Measurements included body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and self-reported questionnaires filled by the child’s parents. There was no significant (p = 0.44) difference in the prevalence of breakfast intake between children attending public (20.6%) versus private (19.4%) schools. However, there was a gender by school type interactions in breakfast intake frequency, as boys in private but not in public schools had significantly (p = 0.006) higher (26.3%) daily breakfast intake than girls (13.3%). Over 56% of the children ate and drank from the school canteen, and impacting factors on children’s choices were children’s desire, food taste, and parental influence. More parents of children in private (12.1%) than in public (6.9%) schools were satisfied with the food in the school canteen. Younger age (aOR = 0.889, 95% CI = 0.815–0.970, p = 0.008), higher father education (aOR = 1.380, 95% CI = 1.130–1.686, p = 0.002), family income (aOR = 1.227, 95% CI = 1.005–1.498, p = 0.044), and insufficient sleep duration (aOR = 0.740, 95% CI = 0.553–0.990, p = 0.042) were significantly associated with being in a private school. Furthermore, no significant differences, when adjusted for socio-demographic factors, appeared in breakfast intake or overweight/obesity relative to school type. Interventions to improve daily breakfast consumption and lifestyle behaviors of Saudi children are warranted.

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“…Evidence from various countries has shown that the national school canteen guidelines are effective in reducing overweight/obesity rates (29). The implementation of canteen policy was evaluated in countries like Saudi Arabia (30) and Brazil (31) and showed that schools did not comply with the policies. To ensure the effective implementation of the regulations in India, speci c attention must be given to monitoring and surveillance aspects, which is a key to ensure compliance (23).…”

Section: Policy Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Environment in and Around Schools and Colleges of Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) in India

Bassi

Bahl

Arora

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Food policies and the environment in and around educational institutes have the potential to influence food practices, eating patterns, and behaviours of children. Methods: A mixed-methods, cross-sectional study was implemented to examine the existing food policies, food environment determinants, and food choices of school (9 schools; Private=6, Public=3) and college (n=4) going students from Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), India. Data was collected from school (n=253) and college (n=57) students, parents of school students (n=190), teachers (n=12, schools=9, colleges=3), canteen operators of private schools (n=6) and colleges (n=4) using focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, surveys and structured observations (in and around schools and colleges). Results: A variety of food and beverage options were available in and around educational institutes but the majority of these options were unhealthy i.e. high in fat, salt, and sugar, despite restrictions. The available healthy foods and beverages in the canteens as well as outside through vendors were priced higher compared to unhealthy options. During lunchtime, twelve vendors were seen around six schools (3 private and 3 public). The density of these vendors increased at the time of dispersal (n=37) with a higher number of outside private schools (n=27) compared to public schools (n=10). Around colleges, vendors (n=14) were seen throughout the day. The students from all private schools (n=6) and colleges (n=2) were exposed to the high fat, salt, and sugar food advertisements (n=10), whereas, no advertisements were observed around public schools. Private school students are more vulnerable compared to public schools due to the availability of canteen with unhealthier options, the higher density of vendors outside school, higher exposure to unhealthy food advertisements, the higher purchasing power of students to eat outside food, and the non-availability of any school meals programme.Conclusion: The current food environment in and around educational institutes is conducive to establish and sustain unhealthy eating behaviours. It is imperative to ensure the availability of healthy food in and around their educational institutes to improve their health and wellbeing. Therefore, emphasise the need to address this challenge through regular monitoring and surveillance of the recently introduced FSSAI regulation 2020, to ensure its compliance and appropriate enforcement strategies.

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Compliance with school nutrition policy in Saudi Arabia: a quantitative study

Cited by 38 publications

References 22 publications

Prevalence and social determinants of overweight and obesity in adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review

Prevalence and social determinants of overweight and obesity in adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review

Breakfast Eating Habits and Lifestyle Behaviors among Saudi Primary School Children Attending Public Versus Private Schools

Food Environment in and Around Schools and Colleges of Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) in India

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