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Socio-Economic Factors, the Food Environment and Lunchtime Food Purchasing by Young People at Secondary School

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  • Wendy Wills

    (Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC), University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB, UK)

  • Giada Danesi

    (Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, UNIL-Mouline, Bâtiment Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland)

  • Ariadne Beatrice Kapetanaki

    (Department of Marketing and Enterprise, Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB, UK)

  • Laura Hamilton

    (Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education, 27–28 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA, UK)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to report on the lunchtime food purchasing practices of secondary school students and some of the factors related to this purchasing, including the influence of socio-economic status (SES) and the food environment within and around schools. A mixed-methods study incorporating an online purchasing recall questionnaire and multiple qualitative methods was undertaken at seven UK secondary schools. The analysis shows that SES was intricately woven with lunchtime food practices. Three-quarters of participants regularly purchased food outside of school; those at low SES schools were more likely to report regularly leaving school to buy food. Young people’s perception of food sold in schools in areas of low SES was often negative and they left school to find “better” food and value for money. Taste, ingredients and advertisements were factors that mattered to young people at schools with low or mixed SES; health as a driver was only mentioned by pupils at a high SES school. For public health initiatives to be effective, it is critical to consider food purchasing practices as complex socio-economically driven phenomena and this study offers important insights along with suggestions for designing interventions that consider SES. Availability of food outlets may be less important than meeting young people’s desires for tasty food and positive relationships with peers, caterers and retailers, all shaped by SES. Innovative ways to engage young people, taking account of SES, are required.

Suggested Citation

  • Wendy Wills & Giada Danesi & Ariadne Beatrice Kapetanaki & Laura Hamilton, 2019. "Socio-Economic Factors, the Food Environment and Lunchtime Food Purchasing by Young People at Secondary School," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:9:p:1605-:d:229118
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Fielding-Singh, Priya, 2019. "You're worth what you eat: Adolescent beliefs about healthy eating, morality and socioeconomic status," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 41-48.
    3. Backett-Milburn, Kathryn C. & Wills, Wendy J. & Gregory, Susan & Lawton, Julia, 2006. "Making sense of eating, weight and risk in the early teenage years: Views and concerns of parents in poorer socio-economic circumstances," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 624-635, August.
    4. Kubik, M.Y. & Lytle, L.A. & Hannan, P.J. & Perry, C.L. & Story, M., 2003. "The Association of the School Food Environment with Dietary Behaviors of Young Adolescents," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(7), pages 1168-1173.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jennifer Hanson & Janelle Elmore & Marianne Swaney-Stueve, 2020. "Food Trying and Liking Related to Grade Level and Meal Participation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-11, August.

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