Purpose: The Australian Dietary Guidelines support good health and disease prevention. Children with healthy eating habits established early in life have been shown to continue these habits into adulthood compared with those children who have poor eating habits in their younger years. The nutritional intake of many Australian children is not in…

Health-related knowledge has been assumed to inform lifestyle choices for school-aged students. A "health-promoting school" provides the conceptual framework for this intervention. A large boarding school developed, implemented and refined a Nutritional Symbol System for their dining hall. The effectiveness of this social marketing…

Objective: The study investigated the barriers and facilitators to, and the extent of the implementation of, the New South Wales (Australia) "Healthy School Canteen Strategy". Design: A purposeful sample was used and data were collected using a mixed method approach. Setting: Two primary and two secondary government schools from a low…

Objective: The present study investigated stakeholders' reactions to the introduction of a traffic light food classification system in primary and secondary school canteens. Design: Interviews and focus groups were conducted with stakeholders approximately 18 months after the introduction of the traffic light system, followed by telephone and…

In Australia, school canteens are an integral part of the school environment and an ideal site to encourage healthy eating. However, when the canteen is not supported within the school system, healthy menus may be difficult to implement. The aim of this study was to investigate school canteens and their place within the school system in primary…