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Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Exploring the School Food Environment: Influences on Adolescents' Food Choices in Diverse Socioeconomic
Sara Shagiwal1, Paul Kocken1, Inge Merkelbach1
1Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Objective:
This study examined school canteen compliance with the Dutch Healthier Canteen Program, adolescents' perceptions of their school food environment, the influence of this environment on food choices, and whether these perceptions varied by educational and neighborhood-level socioeconomic position (SEP).
Methods:
A mixed-methods study was conducted in 4 secondary schools in Rotterdam, combining a canteen menu audit, school-level sales data, structured observations, and student interviews (n = 29; mean age = 15 years). Data were integrated through triangulation.
Results:
No school met compliance thresholds, as 74% of menu items and 80% of student purchases were classified as less healthy. Peer influence and the availability and accessibility of less healthy options within and around schools were cited as key influences on food choices. Schools in a lower-SEP neighborhood were surrounded by more obesogenic outlets.
Conclusions And Implications:
Creating healthier school food environments requires multilevel strategies addressing the socioecological determinants of adolescent food choices.
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