Online canteens: awareness, use, barriers to use, and the acceptability of potential online strategies to improve public health nutrition in primary schools
Rebecca Wyse A B C D , Sze Lin Yoong A B C , Pennie Dodds B , Libby Campbell A B C , Tessa Delaney A B C , Nicole Nathan A B C , Lisa Janssen A B C , Kathryn Reilly A B C , Rachel Sutherland A B C , John Wiggers A B C and Luke Wolfenden A B CA Hunter New England Population Health, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia.
B School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
C Hunter Medical Research Institute, Locked Bag 1000, New Lambton, Newcastle, NSW 2305, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: rebecca.wyse@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
Health Promotion Journal of Australia 28(1) 67-71 https://doi.org/10.1071/HE15095
Submitted: 5 August 2015 Accepted: 29 January 2016 Published: 4 May 2016
Abstract
Issue addressed: This study of primary school principals assessed the awareness, use, barriers to use and acceptability of online canteens.
Methods: A telephone survey of 123 primary school principals within the Hunter New England Region of New South Wales, Australia was conducted from September 2014 to November 2014.
Results: Fifty-six percent of principals were aware of the existence of online canteens, with 8% having implemented such a system, and 38% likely to do so in the future. Medium/large schools were more likely to be aware of or to use online canteens, however there were no differences in awareness or use in relation to school rurality or socioeconomic advantage. Principals cited parent internet access as the most commonly identified perceived barrier to online canteen use, and the majority of principals (71–93%) agreed that it would be acceptable to implement a range of consumer behaviour strategies via an online canteen.
Conclusions: Study findings suggest that despite relatively low levels of current use, online canteens have the potential to reach a large proportion of school communities in the future, across geographical and socioeconomic divides, and that the nutrition interventions which they have the capacity to deliver are considered acceptable to school principals.
So what?: Online canteens may represent an opportunity to deliver nutrition interventions to school communities. Future research should examine the feasibility and potential effectiveness of interventions delivered via this modality.
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