Food and nutrition education in Australian primary schools: Parents' perspectives on why, when and how

Aydın, Gülümser; Margerison, Claire; Worsley, Anthony; Booth, Alison

doi:10.1111/chso.12545

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…A previous qualitative study conducted by the authors in relation to parents and teachers' views of primary school FNE (Aydin et al , 2021a, b) and previous literature related to school FNE and food-related knowledge and skills informed the development of the instrument. A detailed description of the questionnaire has been reported elsewhere (Aydin et al , under review).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Essential food and nutrition knowledge and skills for primary school children: Australian parents' opinions

Aydın

Margerison

Worsley

et al. 2021

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PurposeThis paper examines the views of Australian primary school parents regarding the food and nutrition education (FNE) curriculum. Associations with personal values (Universalism and Hedonism) and demographic measures were also explored.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted among 787 parents in March 2021. Parents rated the importance of 17 FNE topics. They were also asked about their support for six curriculum improvements and to state their own improvement suggestions.FindingsParents viewed the “Effect of food on health” and “Food hygiene” as the most important topics. Three FNE components were derived: (1) food safety and preparation, (2) health and nutrition information, (3) food origins and environmental sustainability. The “Food safety and preparation” component score was associated with both universalism-nature and hedonism values but negatively associated with parental education. The “Health and nutrition information” component score was associated with universalism-nature value and main language spoken at home. Lastly, the “Food origins and environmental sustainability” component score was associated with universalism-nature value. The two personal values, universalism-nature and hedonism, were more strongly associated with parents' views of curriculum topics than parental demographic characteristics. Parents had several criticisms of current FNE, including school food environments not resonating with FNE taught in the classroom and that FNE might increase the risk of eating disorders. They also suggested that the FNE curriculum should support both parents and teachers by providing relevant resources and training.Originality/valueAustralian parents' views of the importance of FNE topics and how to improve FNE in primary schools have been under-examined.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Essential food and nutrition knowledge and skills for primary school children: Australian parents' opinions

Aydın

Margerison

Worsley

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Then, these respondents were also asked how they would like to receive food and nutrition-related information and whether they would like their child’s primary school to provide information for them. Additional details about the survey design have been reported previously ( 21 , 22 ) .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food and nutrition information requirements of Australian primary school parents

Aydin,

Margerison,

Worsley

et al. 2024

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: To explore what Australian primary school parents want to learn about food and nutrition to improve their children’s eating behaviours, as well as the associations between parents’ personal and demographic characteristics and their views regarding their food and nutrition knowledge needs. Design: An online nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2021 using a mixed-methods approach. Logistic regression analysis was utilised to examine the relationship between parents’ demographics, personal values and their views. Content analysis was performed using Leximancer. Setting: Australia. Participants: Seven hundred and eighty-seven parents. Results: Fifty-one per cent wanted to learn more about food and nutrition to improve their children's healthy eating habits, and 77% of those preferred schools to provide that information. Online/printed newsletters and YouTube were the most preferred methods for receiving food and nutrition related information. Higher universalism-concern value (concern for the welfare of those in the larger society and world) scores were positively associated parents’ preference for schools to provide food and nutrition-related information. Parents with non-English-speaking backgrounds and younger parents were more likely to want to learn about food and nutrition. Parents wanted to learn more about encouraging healthy eating, ideas for the lunchbox, food labels and age-specific portion sizes and recommendations. Conclusions: Findings can inform public health educators and assist them in designing future food and nutrition education programmes and resources targeting primary school parents.

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“…The present paper reports the results from one closed-ended and one open-ended follow-up question and a variety of personal values and demographic questions (below). Additional details about the survey design are available elsewhere (36,37) .…”

Section: Survey Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the sample exhibited a bias towards middle and high SES and a higher proportion of respondents from Victoria (56 %). Full demographic details of the respondents were reported in a previous paper (37) .…”

Section: Demographic Characteristics Of the Respondentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental support for free school lunches in Australian primary schools: associated factors and perceived barriers

Aydin,

Margerison,

Worsley

et al. 2023

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: (1) To explore the feasibility of such programs in Australia, this study examined parents views on free school lunch provision. (2) To examine the associations between parents demographic and personal characteristics and their support for free universal school lunches. Design: An online cross-sectional survey of parents Setting: Australia, April 2021 Participants: Seven hundred and eighty-seven parents took the survey. They had a mean age of 40. The respondents were predominantly female (95%), and had a university degree (72%). Results: Fifty-three per cent of the respondents agreed that all students should have access to healthy and well-balanced, free school lunches. Parents were concerned about healthiness, catering, allergies, and cost of school-provided school lunches. Ethnic background, universalism values, and education levels were significantly associated with support for free school lunch provision. Non-native English-speaking parents were almost three times more likely to support free universal lunches in primary schools than their native English-speaking counterparts. Parents with higher universalism-concern values were more likely to endorse free lunches in primary school. However, the level of education was negatively associated with parents’ support for free school lunches. Conclusions: The survey results highlight the complexity of parental views on free school lunch provision. Parents’ concerns regarding lunches should be considered in developing school lunch programs that meet the needs and preferences of diverse communities. These findings can be used to guide future primary school lunch provision initiatives.

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Food and nutrition education in Australian primary schools: Parents' perspectives on why, when and how

Cited by 5 publications

References 72 publications

Essential food and nutrition knowledge and skills for primary school children: Australian parents' opinions

Essential food and nutrition knowledge and skills for primary school children: Australian parents' opinions

Food and nutrition information requirements of Australian primary school parents

Parental support for free school lunches in Australian primary schools: associated factors and perceived barriers

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