‘It's very hard to find what to put in the kid's lunch’: What Perth parents think about food for school lunch boxes

Abstract

Aim: To describe the factors affecting school food selection by parents of young children attending low socioeconomic schools in Perth and recommend the features of resources parents need to make healthier choices. Methods: Nine focus groups of parents of young children attending low socioeconomic status schools in Perth were conducted where parents were asked about the food their children ate at school and their opinions of school food resources. Results: Focus group discussion centred on the themes of the challenge of being a good parent by providing healthy lunch box food; making compromises in what their children eat at school and the barriers to healthy eating in the school environment. Parents were concerned about what their children were eating at school but the barriers of convenience, child preference, cost and food safety prevented them from including healthier food in the lunch box. The amount of time allowed for eating and lack of refrigeration were school‐based barriers that impacted on the type and amount of food selected. Parents liked colourful, practical school food resources with recipes and nutrition information aimed at children. Conclusions: Parents want help with selecting lunch box food/drinks that are nutritious, convenient, inexpensive and appealing for children to eat. Schools need to be supported to introduce healthy eating programs and should review the time given for young children to eat at school. Dietitians need to consider the home food environment and what motivates parents to make food choices for their children.

What's for Lunch? Investigating the Experiences, Perceptions, and Habits of Parents and School Lunches: A Scoping Review

“…Much of the literature reviewed highlighted the lack of time children have to eat their lunch at school and its impact on parental lunch packing habits. 15,[19][20][21] For example, children rushing from lunch to recess caused parents to prioritize packing foods that are quick and easy for their child to eat. 15,20,21 Furthermore, parents reported receiving requests from their children to alter the lunchbox contents, 21 decrease portion sizes, 19 and exclude fruit 19 so children could eat quickly and go out to play.…”

Great Taste, Less Waste: A cluster-randomized trial using a communications campaign to improve the quality of foods brought from home to school by elementary school children

“…Few “grab and go” vegetables are available for parents to pack, and convenient options tend to be expensive. Parents may also believe that vegetables are less appealing to their children and more likely to be wasted (Bathgate and Begley, 2011; Smith and Cunningham-Sabo, 2013). At family events during the campaign, several parents said they did not know which vegetables to pack that would be acceptable.…”

School canteens: A systematic review of the policy, perceptions and use from an Australian perspective

“…As school children consume roughly one‐third of their energy intake at school it is important that canteens and schools support student access to nutritious foods . Furthermore, it is recommended that improving the quality of food from the school canteen, and aligning these changes with school curriculum, may lower rates of childhood obesity …”

“…12 Furthermore, it is recommended that improving the quality of food from the school canteen, and aligning these changes with school curriculum, may lower rates of childhood obesity. 12,13 Improvement of the nutritional content of foods available in schools is supported by the use of healthy canteen policies. In 2004, New South Wales (NSW) developed and implemented the Healthy School Canteen Strategy to help prevent the rise in childhood obesity, 14,15 with Victoria, 16 Western Australia 17 and Queensland 18 following.…”