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The changing role of Australian primary schools in providing breakfast to students: A qualitative study
Author(s) -
Jose Kim,
Vandenberg Miriam,
Williams Julie,
AbbottChapman Joan,
Venn Alison,
Smith Kylie J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1002/hpja.259
Subject(s) - attendance , thematic analysis , focus group , qualitative research , government (linguistics) , consumption (sociology) , public relations , medical education , medicine , pedagogy , psychology , sociology , political science , social science , linguistics , philosophy , law , anthropology
Issue Addressed In recent years, state governments throughout Australia have provided significant funding to support the expansion of school breakfast programs ( SBP s), in response to concerns about children arriving at school hungry. This study investigated how schools have responded to the growing expectation that they provide breakfast for students. Methods This qualitative study draws on case studies of five Australian primary schools that operate SBP s. Interviews or focus groups were conducted with 78 children, parents, staff, volunteers and funders and data underwent thematic analysis. Results Three key themes were identified: Adjusting to the changing role of schools, SBP s reflecting the school's culture, Schools as an alternative or additional site for breakfast. Some staff and parents expressed unease about SBP s shifting responsibility for breakfast provision from parents to schools but were committed to supporting vulnerable students as part of the broader school culture. SBP s were found to provide an alternative or additional site for breakfast consumption for many children not experiencing food insecurity. Conclusion The expectation that schools provide breakfast has created some challenges and tensions that have not been fully resolved. The adoption of an inclusive approach, undertaken to ensure students were not stigmatised for attendance, had resulted in concerns about the resources used by the programs as well as over‐consumption of breakfast by some students. So what? Increasingly, Australian schools are providing breakfast for students. Concerns about shifting responsibility and over‐consumption could be addressed if schools were given more advice on program management by government and non‐government funding bodies.