Implementing Elementary School Nutrition Policy: Principals’ Perspectives

Taylor, Jennifer; MacLellan, Debbie; Caiger, Jane Mary; Hernandez, Kimberley; McKenna, Mary; Gray, Bob; Veugelers, Paul J.

doi:10.3148/72.4.2011.e205

Cited by 21 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The absence of a single, national nutrition standard was an important barrier to compliance with nutrition guidelines for franchised companies and also likely contributed to the difficulty in locating 'choose most often' items, as there is little incentive for industry to reformulate products to fit standards that differ by province. Limited availability of healthier options was also a barrier to implementing nutrition guidelines in recreational facilities (17) and schools (30) in other Canadian provinces. These findings underline the importance of collaboration between levels of government to develop national nutrition standards and of ensuring publicprivate linkages at all stages, from guideline development to implementation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adopting and implementing nutrition guidelines in recreational facilities: tensions between public health and corporate profitability

Olstad

Raine

McCargar

2012

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: Little is known about how public entities can partner with industry to achieve public health goals. We investigated industry's perspective of factors that influenced their adoption and implementation of voluntary, governmentissued nutrition guidelines (Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, ANGCY) in recreational facilities. Design: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data were analysed using directed content analysis. Setting: Food services in recreational facilities. Subjects: Seven managers from industry participated; five from companies that had adopted and implemented the ANGCY (adopters) in recreational facilities and two from companies that had not (non-adopters). Results: Industry views nutrition guidelines through the lens of profitability. Non-adopters were unwilling to implement the ANGCY for fear of sacrificing short-term profitability, whereas adopters adhered to them in an attempt to position themselves for long-term profitability. Adopters faced barriers including few resources, no training, complex guidelines, low availability of and demand for ANGCY-compliant products, competitive pressures and substantial declines in revenue. Managers believed widespread voluntary adoption of the ANGCY was unlikely without government incentives and/or a mandate, as the environmental context for voluntary action was poor. All managers supported governmentmandated implementation of the ANGCY to level the playing field upon which companies compete. Conclusions: Public-private partnerships in recreational facilities can embrace public health goals in the short term, provided industry perceives potential for long-term financial gain. Widespread uptake of voluntary nutrition guidelines in this setting is unlikely, however, as market mechanisms do not encourage industry to sell and promote healthier options. Government legislation may therefore be warranted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adopting and implementing nutrition guidelines in recreational facilities: tensions between public health and corporate profitability

Olstad

Raine

McCargar

2012

Public Health Nutr.

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“…Similarly, previous research has reported that successful development of school nutrition policies includes consultative processes that engage key stakeholders early in development. This engagement is postulated to have enabled earlier adoption and increased adherence of health promotion practices (MacLellan et al, 2010;Taylor et al, 2011). Building readiness among school stakeholders by stimulating shared values and beliefs can have a positive effect on the culture of a school (Samdal and Rowling, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culture matters: a case of school health promotion in Canada

McIsaac

Read

Veugelers

et al. 2013

Health Promotion International

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SummaryRising concerns of poor health behaviours of children and youth have stimulated international support for a comprehensive approach to promoting the development of healthy behaviours in the early years. Health promoting schools (HPS) is increasingly adopted as an approach to guide supportive practices, but there is limited research that has reported how to effectively implement HPS at a population level. The purpose of this research was to qualitatively explore the factors preventing and facilitating implementation of HPS practices in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Interviews (n ¼ 23) were conducted with school stakeholders (principals, teachers and parents) from a diverse sample of schools (n ¼ 9) and data were analysed to develop an understanding of how school circumstances and experiences influenced HPS implementation. At a broad level, the reported barriers were structural and systemic, whereas the facilitating factors were related to organizational capacity and political leadership. It was evident that implementing and sustaining HPS required a shift in values and integration of supportive school health practices into school priorities. The results suggest that, without addressing the competing culture, which is persistently reinforced by strict academic mandates and unhealthy community norms, HPS will be vulnerable to circumstances that prevent implementation. Considering the emerging importance of mental wellbeing, it will also be important to provide schools with adequate and appropriate staff capacity and support to address this issue. Sustaining the positive effects of HPS will require continuous engagement and collaboration with multiple stakeholders to embed health promotion into school community norms.

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“…However, both the indoor and surrounding school food environments are important given that many students consume at least one-third of their daily calories at school, and that daily commutes provide students with numerous food purchasing opportunities. [6][7][8] Despite historical resistance from various stakeholders 9 and ongoing challenges, [10][11][12] there is a generally favorable disposition towards implementing healthful policies targeting indoor food environments in schools, with several studies documenting favorable impacts across many regions in Canada. 13,14 These include positive effects particularly with respect to the availability of fruits and vegetables, and to restricting access to unhealthy beverages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%