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Applying a Health Promoting Schools approach to nutrition interventions in schools: key factors for success
Author(s) -
Rana Leanne,
Alvaro Rita
Publication year - 2010
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 - 10.1071/he10106
Subject(s) - population health , health economics , psychological intervention , health promotion , medicine , community health , public health , key (lock) , medical education , nursing , environmental health , public relations , political science , computer science , computer security
Issue addressed To assess the effectiveness of using a Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework to deliver a nutrition intervention in schools. Methods ‘CREATE healthy eating in schools’ used a HPS framework to assist key school health stakeholders to increase healthier food and drink choices across 68 schools in South Australia. Data were collected on a range of measures including workshop feedback, resource evaluation, canteen menu assessments and case studies. Results Twentynine workshops were provided across 10 metropolitan and rural locations. Overall, 254 participants from 60 schools attended workshops, with an average of three people from each school. An average of 90% of all respondents found workshops useful/very useful, with most participants reporting they had increased knowledge and skills of healthy eating, healthy eating guidelines and menu planning at the end of workshops. At the completion of the program, many participants reported increasing healthy food choices across the school. Menu assessments of a small selection of participating school menus (n=10) supported these findings, with the majority of menus (n=9) showing increases in healthy food choices from 2005 to 2006. Conclusions Implementation of the ‘CREATE healthy eating in schools’ program resulted in selfreported improvements in healthy eating activities and increases in healthy food choices in a number of schools. So what The HPS framework provides a useful model when designing multifaceted programs within the school setting. Engagement of schools in the application of this approach to healthy eating can lead to improvements in the provision of healthy foods in schools.