Socio-Economic Factors, the Food Environment and Lunchtime Food Purchasing by Young People at Secondary School

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to report on the lunchtime food purchasing practices of secondary school students and some of the factors related to this purchasing, including the influence of socio-economic status (SES) and the food environment within and around schools. A mixed-methods study incorporating an online purchasing recall questionnaire and multiple qualitative methods was undertaken at seven UK secondary schools. The analysis shows that SES was intricately woven with lunchtime food practices. Three-quarters of participants regularly purchased food outside of school; those at low SES schools were more likely to report regularly leaving school to buy food. Young people’s perception of food sold in schools in areas of low SES was often negative and they left school to find “better” food and value for money. Taste, ingredients and advertisements were factors that mattered to young people at schools with low or mixed SES; health as a driver was only mentioned by pupils at a high SES school. For public health initiatives to be effective, it is critical to consider food purchasing practices as complex socio-economically driven phenomena and this study offers important insights along with suggestions for designing interventions that consider SES. Availability of food outlets may be less important than meeting young people’s desires for tasty food and positive relationships with peers, caterers and retailers, all shaped by SES. Innovative ways to engage young people, taking account of SES, are required.

Institutional spaces and sociable eating: young people, food and expressions of care

“…Young people in school years 8 and 9 were the focus (aged 13-15 years). This mirrors other studies we have conducted (Wills et al 2005;Wills et al 2019) whereby young people in year groups 8 and 9 are selected because they have 'settled in' to secondary school after their first year but then face combining reflexive practice with negotiating collective peer group interests (Fletcher et al 2013). We sent leaflets to the parents of year 8 and 9 pupils, via the school, before distributing information about the study to young people.…”

The Role of the School Food Environment in Improving the Healthiness of School Canteens and Readiness to Reopen Post COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study Conducted in Indonesia

“…A previous study found that student's food purchasing was positively and significantly associated with food availability in school canteens. [25][26][27][28] Thus, if school canteens provided only healthy foods, the probability of students purchasing unhealthy foods may be significantly reduced 26 . Having canteens inside the school also allows for easier management of the selection, preparation and cooking of the foods, and of the school standards of food quality and safety.…”

School Canteens in Selected Areas in Indonesia: A Situation Analysis

“…This is in line with many previous studies that found that taste and cost-rather than knowledge-are the main food choice drivers for adolescents. 51,53,56,[63][64][65][66][67][68] Meanwhile, limited break time and an abundance of attractive and cheap unhealthy foods compared to healthy foods create barriers to healthy eating at school. [69][70][71][72] Thus, our findings support previous research that identified the importance of removing unhealthy options from school canteens.…”