Children’s eating habits: research from Sandwell

1. Children’s eating habits: research from Sandwell Rosemary Kyle

2. Data collection Interviews were carried out with: • parents and carers (One focus group at each school, each with 6-10 informants) • children (mainly Key Stage 2, one or two groups at each school, each with 4-6 informants) • head teachers (5 head teachers and 3 deputy head teachers) • lunchtime supervisors (five focus groups each with 5-7 informants) • cooks (the cook and other kitchen staff at each school)

3. Data collection • One day food diaries were completed by a sample of children from each of the five participating schools (443 one-day diaries completed) • These diaries provide a ‘snapshot’ of children’s diets in Sandwell

4. Making ‘take-away’ food healthier? ‘If it’s nuggets or burger, which is vegetarian, it’s not the right sort. It’s not like going to McDonalds so they won’t even try it. When they cut a nugget and see peas and sweetcorn they know it’s not a proper nugget. When they have sausage they say ‘that’s not a proper sausage’ (Supervisor)

5. Food diaries Take-away meals, usually McDonalds or KFC, but occasionally donner kebabs or Chinese were reported in 15-20 diaries. Approximately 30 children’s diaries out of the 443 total reported a vegetable or salad with the evening meal.

6. ‘Normal’ food Pester power and environment –two powerful determinants of children’s diets

7. A mother’s viewpoint ‘I quite like salad but she says to me I don’t want salad, it’s too healthy. We usually eat something out of the freezer, Iceland pie, nuggets. Sometimes we go to the chippy or Chinese at the weekend. Two minutes from the chippy, two minutes from the Chinese where I live!’