School Factors Affecting Food Practices among Adolescent Students in Bagmati Province, Nepal

The role of the institutional environment in influencing dietary behaviors among teenagers attending public secondary schools in Bagmati Province of Nepal. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design within the framework of the post-positivist paradigm and the socio-ecological model among 397 students from grades 8-10 from three randomly chosen districts, namely, Lalitpur, Chitwan, and Rasuwa. Structured self-administered questionnaires helped in the collection of the data. The results showed that students were positively influenced by the institutional policies and supportive measures, including the fact that 61.7% of them avoided junk food due to the school’s regulations, while 59.4% of the surveyed individuals mentioned being constantly encouraged by their teachers to choose nutritious food. Furthermore, the availability of food in the canteen has had a significant influence on students’ food choices, as 54.9% of them regularly opted for healthy food whenever it was available. However, it was found that nutrition education provided in schools remains largely inadequate, with only 38.0% of students learning about nutrition on a regular basis. Thus, the results reveal the necessity of a shift in school policy towards active provision of behavior-changing programs and proper conditions for the healthy nutrition of adolescents.