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Media Release

November 30, 2005

UniSA peeks inside the tuckshop to fight childhood obesity

UniSA researchers are hoping to talk to tuckshop and school canteen managers and organising groups in a bid to evaluate how the school canteen may help to build healthier eating patterns for children.

UniSA Health Sciences PhD student, Claire Drummond says, while there is a great deal of research looking at the relationship between children’s physical activity and obesity, there is an urgent need to look at diet and food intake.

“Evidence suggests that many children consume up to one third of their daily energy intake at the school canteen,” Drummond said.

“It makes sense to look at what foods and drinks are being sold at school because it may have an important impact on healthy eating.

“I want to learn more about how school canteens are managed and how that structure and management impacts on the foods available and therefore healthy outcomes for children and adolescents.”

Drummond says she has already had strong cooperation from many school canteens and was hoping to broaden her sample to ensure she has a diverse group of schools in the study.

“What I hope to achieve is a sound analysis of the link between childhood healthy eating and the design and management of school food services,” she said. “From that analysis I hope to develop practical design and management options that can be adopted to influence healthy food choices in the school environment.”

Drummond said she believed it was essential to undertake research before making huge changes.

“We need an informed approach, and we also need to take into account a range of issues in relations to the management and function of school canteens because many of them operate under different management structures,” she said.

“If we can work with the schools and the food service providers I think we are likely to get more sustainable outcomes for our children and their health.”

Drummond’s PhD research project, Promoting Health Eating Habits: an investigation of the link between eating and school canteens, is a three year project funded by an Australian Research Council grant and supported by industry partners the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (Child and Women’s Health Service) and Spotless Ltd.

Anyone interested in taking part in the research project can contact the principal researcher, Claire Drummond at claire.drummond@postgrads.unisa.edu.au or phone on 0403 502825.

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