Regional survey supports national initiative for ‘water‐only’ schools in New Zealand

Abstract

Objective: To support a national initiative to remove sugary drinks from schools and limit drinks to water or unflavoured milk ('water-only'). Methods:We emailed all 201 schools with primary school aged children in the Greater Wellington region with a survey on (1) current status of, (2) support needs for, and (3) barriers to or lessons learned from, a 'water-only' school policy. Results:Only 78 (39%) of schools responded. Most supported 'water-only': 22 (28%) had implemented a policy; 10 (13%) in process of doing so; 22 (28%) were considering it; and 12 (15%) were 'water-only' , but did not have a policy. Only 12 (15%) were not considering a 'wateronly' policy. The main barrier reported was lack of community and/or family support. Many schools did not see any barriers beyond the time needed for consultation. Monitoring and communication were identified as key to success. A quarter of schools requested public health nurse support for a 'water-only' policy. Conclusions:The survey elicited a range of views on 'water-only' policies for schools, but suggests that 'water-only' may be an emerging norm for schools.Implications for public health: Our survey shows how local assessment can support a national initiative by providing a baseline, identifying schools that want support, and sharing lessons. Making schools 'water-only' could be a first step in changing our children's environment to prevent obesity.

Examining the New Zealand school food environment: what needs to change?

“…Among a sample of Wellington (New Zealand) primary schools, although many had been thinking about or were in the process of implementing an official or unofficial water-only policy to help to curb children's consumption of sugarsweetened beverages, only 28% had actually implemented a water-only policy (43) . Barriers to school food policy implementation identified in a recent meta-analysis included lack of support and training for school staff, lack of acceptance of healthy foods by the school community, unhealthy fundraising practices, lower level of priority, and costs to implement the policy if needing to provide healthier foods or install canteen facilities and drinking-water fountains (44) .…”

“…Barriers to school food policy implementation identified in a recent meta-analysis included lack of support and training for school staff, lack of acceptance of healthy foods by the school community, unhealthy fundraising practices, lower level of priority, and costs to implement the policy if needing to provide healthier foods or install canteen facilities and drinking-water fountains (44) . Similarly, the lack of prioritisation and value by schools and parental resistance were significant barriers to school policy implementation in New Zealand (42,43) . Support from school staff members and concerns for children's health tended to contribute to a successful implementation of a healthy food and beverage policy (44) .…”

“…In relation to profitability, implementation of a school food policy between 2006 and 2008 using a traffic-light system in Australian school canteens resulted in an increase in the number of schools achieving break-even, with no significant changes to profit or loss at the canteen (46) . A harder one to address is the issue of the schools' prioritisation and value on implementing a healthy food and beverage policy (42,43) , and further investigation is needed to identify barriers and enablers to implementing a healthy school food policy in New Zealand.…”

If soft drink companies can do it, why can't government? Sugary drink sales policies in schools must be tightened

“…A recent survey of NZ schools found that most students (73%) had sugary drinks available to purchase on their grounds. For example, 30% of Primary Schools, 50% of Intermediate Schools, and 100% of High Schools had flavoured milk and/or juice available for purchase 11-12 …”

“…For example, 30% of Primary Schools, 50% of Intermediate Schools, and 100% of High Schools had flavoured milk and/or juice available for purchase. [11][12] Because of the loopholes outlined above and the danger that sugary drinks pose to children, several NZ schools have implemented 'water only' policies, which do not allow sugary drinks to be sold by their canteens. 13 However, as outlined above, many schools have not implemented the simple 'water only' policy and therefore, the vast majority of NZ's children are still exposed to a product with devastating long-term consequences for them and for wider society (e.g.…”