Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 31;22(6):866.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph22060866.

Assessment of School Food Policy Influencing Nutritional Behaviour of Adolescents from the Perspective of School Stakeholders in Ibadan, Oyo State

Mary Ibukunoluwa Tubi  1 , Oyediran Emmanuel Oyewole  2
Affiliations

Assessment of School Food Policy Influencing Nutritional Behaviour of Adolescents from the Perspective of School Stakeholders in Ibadan, Oyo State

Mary Ibukunoluwa Tubi et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

School food policy (SFP) that promotes nutritional behaviour is a national priority. Despite the role of school principals, teachers, and food service staff (FSS) in implementing SFP, their contribution to the current state of school food policy remains unexplored. The study aims to explore the perspective of these stakeholders on the effectiveness of SFP, barriers, and future recommendations for effective implementation. A qualitative study using 24 key informants interviews including principals (n = 6), teachers (n = 12), and FSS (n = 6) was conducted. From the list of private secondary schools, six schools were randomly selected. Principals, teachers, and FSS were selected through purposive sampling. A thematic approach was adopted for the data analysis. Interview data were categorised into three broad themes: (1) availability of school food policy, (2) barriers to enforcement, and (3) recommendations. Most participants stated that policy implementation is not enforced. The barriers are non-prioritised funding, resistance to change, and time constraints. The recommendations include regular training, activity manual development, seasonal food promotion, nutrition education, and leadership support. The study provides a deeper understanding of the role of key stakeholders in the current state of the effectiveness of SFP implementation. The inclusion of stakeholders is essential for a successful school food policy.

Keywords: food service staff; key informant; nutritional behaviour; principal; school food policy; teacher.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Agu C.I., Ossai E.N., Ogah O.E., Agu I.C., Akamike I., Ugwu G.O., Edwin N., Ewenyi B.L., Azuogu B.N. An appraisal of the implementation of the national school feeding programme and its effect on enrolment and attendance in public primary schools in Southeast, Nigeria: Perception of heads of schools. BMC Nutr. 2023;9:37. doi: 10.1186/s40795-023-00695-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chaudhary A., Sudzina F., Mikkelsen B.E. Promoting healthy eating among young people—A review of the evidence of the impact of school-based interventions. Nutrients. 2020;12:2894. doi: 10.3390/nu12092894. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ziso D., Chun O.K., Puglisi M.J. Increasing Access to Healthy Foods through Improving Food Environment: A Review of Mixed Methods Intervention Studies with Residents of Low-Income Communities. Nutrients. 2022;14:2278. doi: 10.3390/nu14112278. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pillay D., Ali A., Wham C.A. Examining the New Zealand School Food Environment: What Needs to Change? Nutr. Res. Rev. 2023;36:406–419. doi: 10.1017/S0954422422000154. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mamman H., Ezenkiri N.J. Sugar Consumption Among Private Secondary School Students in Dutsin-Ma Township, Katsina State, Nigeria. Sokoto Educ. Rev. 2018;18:10. doi: 10.35386/ser.v18i1.45. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources