Page 105 - ON THE WAY TO HEALTHIER SCHOOL CANTEENS - Irma Evenhuis

other health related newsletters stakeholders received, was mentioned. Sharing online information, advice, and news by the online community was evaluated positively while time constraints and Facebook as chosen medium were mentioned as limitations.
Due to potential privacy sensitivity, the students’ wishes and needs fact sheet was sent only to the school coordinator who could choose to share it with other stakeholders. Some stakeholders were dissatisfied not receiving it, indicating that the fact sheet was not shared. Stakeholders evaluated the fact sheet as a positive method to get student’ opinion and the support of colleagues. One limitation was that the fact sheet was based only on second grade students.
Overall, stakeholders mentioned the combination of different implementation tools as positive. They used the tools they considered appropriate to their situation and preferences. They mentioned several preconditions to realizing a healthier school canteen: sufficient time, money, and facilities; freedom at the work place to perform activities related to a healthier school canteen; adequate knowledge and examples about healthier products and accessibility; existence of a multidisciplinary workgroup; clear and timely information about the guidelines, including possible future changes; the possibility of involving students; and sufficient customers.
Challenges mentioned include, first, lack of support from the school’s neighbourhood due
to the existence of numerous selling points and offers of less healthy products. Second, competing demands related to other school tasks, such as educational tests, rebuilding 6 or staffing problems, make keeping the healthier school canteen on the agenda difficult.
Third, involving students and colleagues and alignment of all health-related activities in
the school was found to be important but challenging. Fourth, while many stakeholders
learned that the accessibility criteria lead to behavioural changes in students, some did not understand how, or which criteria could be used. Fifth, although stakeholders experienced inconsistency in the financial effects of a healthier school canteen (some schools noticed
lower and others higher sales) and long-term effects are unclear, they were wary of
potential negative financial consequences.
DISCUSSION
This study evaluated the process of implementation of the Guidelines for Healthier Canteens in secondary schools in the Netherlands. First, it showed that implementation support resulted in changes in individual and environmental factors related to the implementation of healthier school canteen. More specific, knowledge and motivation increased, and need for support of stakeholders decreased. Second, stakeholders evaluated the implementation tools positively, especially the advisory meeting and report, the students’ fact sheet, the communication materials, and the “Canteen Scan”.
The implementation plan improved both some individual and environmental factors, although changes are small. However, these changes are supported by the qualitative results. Stakeholders indicated that the plan supported them in creating a healthier canteen. Their positive feeling of support and increased knowledge and motivation may
103