Cross-sectional survey reveals varying implementation rates of healthy eating initiatives in primary schools, highlighting specific programs requiring targeted policy support.
Key Points
To assess the implementation prevalence of 32 healthy eating initiatives in Australian primary schools and examine associations with school size, remoteness, and socioeconomic status.
Conducted a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of primary school principals in Australia between August 2022 and October 2023.
Evaluated 32 healthy eating initiatives across five domains: in the classroom, at school, brought to school, outside of school, and other.
Calculated population-weighted prevalence estimates and applied logistic regression models to assess associations with school characteristics.
Among 569 completing schools (out of 669 participating), implementation rates across the 32 initiatives ranged from 7% to 97%.
The most prevalent initiatives included daily classroom water breaks (97%), sending healthy eating guidance home to parents (88%), and installing cooled water stations (64%), while community partnership programs reached only 31%.
Ten initiatives exhibited significant associations with school characteristics, including geographic remoteness (n=7), school size (n=5), and socioeconomic status (n=3).