Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
04:56
Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Stakeholder support for school food policy expansions
Simone Pettigrew1, Melanie Pescud, Robert J Donovan
1Health Promotion Evaluation Unit, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. simone.pettigrew@uwa.edu.au
Health Education Research
|June 26, 2012
Summary
Parents and school stakeholders support expanding school food policies. Parents showed higher support than stakeholders for common policy components, informing future policy decisions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Nutrition Policy
- Educational Administration
Background:
- School food policies are crucial for student health.
- Assessing stakeholder support is vital for policy implementation.
- Previous research indicates varying levels of support for school nutrition initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate parent and school stakeholder support for new school food policy components.
- To identify areas of consensus and divergence in support levels.
- To inform policy makers on effective school food policy modifications.
Main Methods:
- Survey distributed to 1200 parents and 607 school stakeholders.
- Policy components were developed from parent focus groups and stakeholder interviews.
- Quantitative analysis of support levels for proposed policy expansions.
Main Results:
- Over two-thirds of parents supported all 8 presented policy components.
- Around two-thirds of school stakeholders supported 13 out of 19 components.
- Parents demonstrated significantly higher support than school stakeholders for all common policy elements.
Conclusions:
- Broad support exists among parents and school stakeholders for enhancing school food policies.
- Parents are generally more supportive of policy expansions than school stakeholders.
- Findings provide valuable data for policy makers considering school food policy changes.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Dietary Connections
In biological systems, most metabolic pathways are interconnected. The cellular respiration processes that convert glucose to ATP—such as glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, and the citric acid cycle—tie into those that break down other organic compounds. As a result, various foods—from apples to cheese to guacamole—end up as ATP. In addition to carbohydrates, food also contains proteins and lipids—such as cholesterol and fats. All of these organic compounds are used as energy sources to produce...
01:52Persuasion Strategies
Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).
02:35Key Elements for Plant Nutrition
Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the atmosphere, the...
01:43Sustainable Development
As the human population continues to grow and use resources, we must be mindful of our planet’s natural limits. Sustainable development provides a pathway to maintain and improve human life now while also ensuring that future generations will have the resources that they need. The long-term success of sustainability efforts rests on understanding the interplay between human actions and ecological systems.
00:52Social Proof
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
01:21Stomach pH Regulation
The human body carefully regulates the internal pH of different organs to maintain homeostasis. For example, while the blood plasma maintains a neutral pH of 7, the stomach lumen has an acidic pH of 1.5 - 3.5. The low pH of stomach lumen helps kill pathogens in the food and break down complex food molecules.
The acid-secreting gastric mucosal epithelial cells (parietal cells) lining the stomach lumen maintain the low pH in the lumen. Numerous ion transporters and channels on these parietal...
The acid-secreting gastric mucosal epithelial cells (parietal cells) lining the stomach lumen maintain the low pH in the lumen. Numerous ion transporters and channels on these parietal...