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Price, social life and proximity influence food choices: Engaging young people as co-researcher collaborators to better understand their surrounding school food environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2024

S. Jia
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, Engagement and Co-design Research Hub, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
A.A. Gibson
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Public Health, Menzies Centre for Policy and Economics, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
R. Raeside
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, Engagement and Co-design Research Hub, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
R. Valanju
Affiliation:
Health Advisory Panel for Youth at The University of Sydney (HAPYUS) Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
E. McMahon
Affiliation:
Health Advisory Panel for Youth at The University of Sydney (HAPYUS) Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
B. Ren
Affiliation:
Health Advisory Panel for Youth at The University of Sydney (HAPYUS) Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
F. Yan
Affiliation:
Health Advisory Panel for Youth at The University of Sydney (HAPYUS) Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
K. Tse
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Nursing School, Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
M. X. Zeng
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Nursing School, Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
M. Allman-Farinelli
Affiliation:
Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Nursing School, Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
S.R. Partridge
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, Engagement and Co-design Research Hub, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Abstract

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Food environments around secondary schools are a strong influence on adolescents’ food purchasing habits1. We conducted a repeat cross-sectional study using Google Street View to examine school food environments in regional and metropolitan NSW, Australia over 17-years. Findings showed that unhealthful food outlets such as fast-food franchises, consistently dominated school food environments over 2007-2023. Increasing levels of poor nutrition among youth has been raised as a concern2 by the Health Advisory Panel for Youth at the University of Sydney [HAPYUS] - an established group of 16 adolescents aged 13-18 years residing in NSW3. To gain further insight into the study findings and how it may impact adolescents’ health, it is critical to include voices of adolescents in this research. The aim of this sub-study was to engage with members of our youth advisory group and conduct a consultation exercise on these study findings, drawing upon their lived experiences of school food environments. In Aug-2023, we engaged four youth advisors from HAPYUS. Study authors provided an overview of the study and its findings to the youth advisors via a Zoom call. Youth advisors formulated a 500-word statement on their perspectives and lived experiences of food environments surrounding their high schools over the subsequent 4 weeks. Adolescents agreed that physical proximity to unhealthy food outlets around schools was a key contributor to unhealthy eating habits however also recognised social and economic factors which play a significant role in shaping poor diets. The following quotes from their combined statement reflect social and economic concerns: i) “[We] observed on a daily basis young people were opting to travel to the closest food court for fast food, or in some extreme cases, even order fast food via a meal delivery app, to be delivered to the school - as opposed to choosing the closest outlet” ii) “Overpriced foods in schools with some drinks costing 2x more than a heavily discounted KFC meal, no meaningful difference between foods sold at canteens and those sold at fast food outlets - heavily processed, packaged snacks, pre-made reheated foods” iii) “Most unhealthy food outlets choose a location that is not only close to schools but also close to major shopping centres and food courts… ideal for an after-school social catchup as it appears to accommodate the needs of a large group of people.” Consultation findings revealed the importance of social and economic factors that must be analysed in addition to adolescents’ physical proximity to food outlets around their schools. Youth advisors call for governments to take immediate action to implement policies that ensure schools have cheap and healthy foods at canteens to mitigate against the purchase of foods from nearby unhealthy food outlets.

Type
Abstract
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

References

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