Teacher perceptions of a proposed school-provided lunch program according to school characteristics (n = 337)
| School type | Regionality | SEP | Size | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Gov | Non-gov | Major city | Regional city | Low | Medium | High | Small | Medium | Large | |
| Primary schools should have a school-provided lunch program, n (%) | |||||||||||
| Yes | 80 (29.3) | 18 (29.6) | 64 (30.3) | 28 (28.6) | 36 (29.8) | 27 (26.7) | 28 (32.9) | 24 (31.2) | 9 (31.0) | 62 (28.7) | 99 (29.4) |
| Maybe/Unsure | 129 (47.3) | 25 (41.0) | 92 (43.6) | 44 (44.9) | 54 (44.6) | 50 (49.5) | 31 (36.5) | 32 (41.6) | 13 (44.8) | 100 (46.3) | 155 (46.0) |
| No | 64 (23.4) | 18 (29.5) | 55 (26.1) | 26 (26.5) | 31 (25.6) | 24 (23.8) | 26 (30.6) | 21 (27.3) | 7 (24.1) | 54 (25.0) | 83 (24.6) |
| Parent preferences for a school-provided lunch program, n (%) | |||||||||||
| Yes | 80 (29.4) | 18 (29.5) | 60 (28.6) | 31 (31.6) | 35 (28.9) | 30 (30.0) | 26 (30.6) | 26 (33.8) | 13 (44.8) | 55 (25.6) | 100 (29.8) |
| Maybe/Unsure | 163 (59.9) | 32 (52.5) | 124 (59.1) | 56 (57.1) | 72 (59.5) | 59 (59.0) | 47 (55.3) | 43 (55.8) | 13 (44.8) | 133 (61.9) | 196 (58.3) |
| No | 29 (10.7) | 11 (18.0) | 26 (12.4) | 11 (11.2) | 14 (11.6) | 11 (11.0) | 12 (14.2) | 8 (10.4) | 3 (10.3) | 27 (12.6) | 40 (11.9) |
| Funding responsibility for a school-provided lunch program*, n (%) | |||||||||||
| Government only | 97 (49.2) | 20 (48.8) | 78 (52.7) | 32 (47.8) | 45 (52.9) | 35 (49.3) | 30 (51.7) | 26 (51.0) | 8 (40.0) | 79 (51.0) | 118 (49.2) |
| Government and parents | 96 (48.7) | 14 (34.2) | 63 (42.6) | 32 (47.8) | 37 (43.5) | 32 (45.1) | 26 (44.8) | 22 (43.1) | 11 (55.0) | 69 (44.5) | 111 (46.3) |
| Parents only | 1 (0.5) | 4 (9.8) | 4 (2.7) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (2.4) | 1 (1.4) | 1 (1.7) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (5.0) | 4 (2.6) | 5 (2.1) |
| Other | 3 (1.5) | 3 (7.3) | 3 (2.0) | 3 (4.5) | 1 (1.2) | 3 (4.2) | 1 (1.7) | 3 (5.9) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (1.9) | 6 (2.5) |
| Perceived benefits of a school-provided lunch program*, n (%) | |||||||||||
| Children eating healthy food | 173 (87.4) | 38 (92.7) | 138 (92.6) | 60 (90.0) | 78 (90.7) | 66 (93.0) | 53 (91.4) | 45 (86.5) | 19 (95.0) | 139 (89.9) | 212 (88.0) |
| Convenience for parents | 141 (71.2) | 27 (65.9) | 107 (72.3) | 48 (70.6) | 60 (69.8) | 51 (71.8) | 44 (75.9) | 35 (67.3) | 16 (80.0) | 111 (71.6) | 170 (70.5) |
| Children eating a hot cooked meal | 132 (67.0) | 27 (67.5) | 104 (70.8) | 42 (62.7) | 57 (67.1) | 49 (69.0) | 39 (68.4) | 27 (54.0) | 17 (85.0) | 109 (70.3) | 161 (67.4) |
| Peer influence to try new foods | 124 (62.9) | 26 (63.4) | 98 (66.2) | 42 (62.7) | 53 (62.4) | 44 (62.0) | 43 (74.1) | 31 (60.8) | 14 (70.0) | 99 (63.9) | 151 (62.9) |
| Children eating new foods in a social setting | 121 (61.4) | 21 (51.22) | 86 (58.1) | 44 (65.7) | 52 (61.2) | 42 (59.2) | 36 (62.1) | 31 (60.8) | 16 (80.0) | 91 (58.7) | 143 (59.6) |
| Children eating the same food | 82 (41.8) | 11 (26.8) | 59 (39.9) | 28 (42.4) | 34 (40.0) | 27 (38.6) | 25 (43.1) | 20 (40.0) | 9 (45.0) | 61 (39.4) | 95 (39.8) |
| Children having more time to eat lunch | 74 (37.6) | 10 (24.4) | 51 (34.5) | 25 (37.3) | 35 (41.2) | 22 (31.0) | 19 (32.8) | 14 (27.5) | 9 (45.0) | 54 (34.8) | 84 (35.0) |
| Perceived barriers of a school-provided lunch program, n (%) | |||||||||||
| Cost to parents | 215 (78.8) | 48 (78.7) | 176 (83.4) | 76 (77.6) | 100 (82.6) | 83 (82.2) | 68 (80.0) | 55 (71.4) | 27 (93.1) | 177 (81.9) | 265 (78.6) |
| Lack of teacher support for serving food | 193 (70.7) | 49 (80.3) | 152 (72.0) | 80 (81.6) | 95 (78.5) | 74 (73.3) | 63 (74.1) | 55 (71.4) | 21 (72.4) | 163 (75.5) | 244 (72.4) |
| Time to serve food | 182 (66.7) | 50 (82.0) | 151 (71.6) | 67 (68.4) | 84 (69.4) | 74 (73.3) | 60 (70.6) | 44 (57.1) | 23 (79.3) | 158 (73.2) | 233 (69.1) |
| Food waste | 163 (59.7) | 43 (70.5) | 130 (61.6) | 63 (64.3) | 78 (64.5) | 55 (54.5) | 58 (68.2) | 42 (54.6) | 20 (69.0) | 140 (64.8) | 208 (61.7) |
| Child fussiness | 147 (53.9) | 34 (55.7) | 115 (54.5) | 57 (58.2) | 67 (55.4) | 59 (58.4) | 45 (52.9) | 47 (61.0) | 12 (41.4) | 115 (53.2) | 183 (54.3) |
| Inadequate space | 142 (52.0) | 33 (54.1) | 118 (55.9) | 48 (49.0) | 61 (50.4) | 62 (61.4) | 42 (49.4) | 28 (36.4) | 16 (55.2) | 131 (60.7) | 176 (52.2) |
| Reduced teaching time | 134 (49.1) | 22 (36.1) | 101 (47.9) | 44 (44.9) | 55 (45.5) | 56 (55.5) | 34 (40.0) | 28 (36.4) | 13 (44.8) | 114 (52.8) | 158 (46.9) |
| Children’s dietary requirements | 125 (45.8) | 32 (52.5) | 114 (54.0) | 35 (35.7) | 53 (43.8) | 41 (40.6) | 54 (63.5) | 24 (31.2) | 12 (41.4) | 117 (54.2) | 159 (47.2) |
| Parents wanting to know what children are eating | 110 (40.3) | 28 (45.9) | 96 (45.5) | 34 (34.7) | 45 (37.2) | 40 (39.6) | 44 (51.8) | 22 (28.6) | 14 (48.3) | 100 (46.3) | 140 (41.5) |
| Lack of teacher support for supervising children | 105 (38.5) | 31 (50.8) | 89 (42.2) | 42 (42.9) | 46 (38.0) | 45 (44.6) | 40 (47.1) | 32 (41.6) | 12 (41.4) | 90 (41.7) | 138 (41.0) |
| Allergies | 93 (34.1) | 24 (39.3) | 89 (42.2) | 23 (23.5) | 42 (34.7) | 31 (30.7) | 38 (44.7) | 16 (20.8) | 9 (31.0) | 92 (42.6) | 118 (35.0) |
| Equipment needs | 84 (30.8) | 22 (36.1) | 66 (31.3) | 33 (33.7) | 38 (31.4) | 31 (30.7) | 30 (35.3) | 24 (31.2) | 10 (34.5) | 67 (31.0) | 106 (31.5) |
| Parent concerns about quality | 77 (28.2) | 20 (32.8) | 71 (33.7) | 19 (19.4) | 32 (26.5) | 19 (18.8) | 37 (43.5) | 16 (20.8) | 10 (34.5) | 69 (31.9) | 99 (29.4) |
| Cost to taxpayers | 77 (28.2) | 17 (27.9) | 64 (30.3) | 28 (28.6) | 39 (32.2) | 28 (27.7) | 25 (29.4) | 17 (22.1) | 2 (6.9) | 72 (33.3) | 96 (28.5) |
| Teacher concerns about quality | 71 (26.0) | 10 (16.4) | 59 (28.0) | 16 (16.3) | 28 (23.1) | 17 (16.8) | 30 (35.3) | 10 (13.0) | 5 (27.6) | 60 (27.8) | 83 (24.6) |
| Mess | 43 (15.8) | 12 (19.7) | 37 (17.5) | 16 (16.3) | 22 (18.2) | 12 (11.9) | 19 (22.4) | 11 (14.3) | 5 (17.2) | 37 (17.1) | 56 (16.6) |
| Lack of parent trust | 39 (14.3) | 11 (18.0) | 34 (16.1) | 11 (11.2) | 17 (14.0) | 7 (6.9) | 21 (24.7) | 7 (9.1) | 2 (6.9) | 40 (18.5) | 51 (15.1) |
| Perceived enablers of a school-provided lunch program, n (%) | |||||||||||
| Funding | 230 (84.3) | 49 (80.3) | 177 (83.9) | 86 (87.8) | 111 (91.7) | 84 (83.2) | 66 (77.7) | 69 (89.6) | 25 (86.2) | 178 (82.4) | 281 (83.4) |
| Resources (e.g. kitchen equipment) | 214 (78.4) | 46 (75.4) | 165 (78.2) | 78 (79.6) | 97 (80.2) | 81 (80.2) | 63 (74.1) | 60 (77.9) | 25 (86.2) | 167 (77.3) | 262 (77.7) |
| School facilities (e.g. eating area) | 211 (77.3) | 44 (72.1) | 162 (76.8) | 78 (79.6) | 91 (75.2) | 81 (80.2) | 66 (77.7) | 55 (71.4) | 26 (89.7) | 168 (77.8) | 258 (76.6) |
| Parent awareness | 169 (61.9) | 30 (49.2) | 130 (61.6) | 56 (57.1) | 74 (61.2) | 57 (56.4) | 54 (63.5) | 40 (52.0) | 18 (62.1) | 135 (62.5) | 202 (59.9) |
| School type | Regionality | SEP | Size | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Gov | Non-gov | Major city | Regional city | Low | Medium | High | Small | Medium | Large | |
| Yes | 80 (29.3) | 18 (29.6) | 64 (30.3) | 28 (28.6) | 36 (29.8) | 27 (26.7) | 28 (32.9) | 24 (31.2) | 9 (31.0) | 62 (28.7) | |
| Maybe/Unsure | 129 (47.3) | 25 (41.0) | 92 (43.6) | 44 (44.9) | 54 (44.6) | 50 (49.5) | 31 (36.5) | 32 (41.6) | 13 (44.8) | 100 (46.3) | |
| No | 64 (23.4) | 18 (29.5) | 55 (26.1) | 26 (26.5) | 31 (25.6) | 24 (23.8) | 26 (30.6) | 21 (27.3) | 7 (24.1) | 54 (25.0) | |
| Yes | 80 (29.4) | 18 (29.5) | 60 (28.6) | 31 (31.6) | 35 (28.9) | 30 (30.0) | 26 (30.6) | 26 (33.8) | 13 (44.8) | 55 (25.6) | |
| Maybe/Unsure | 163 (59.9) | 32 (52.5) | 124 (59.1) | 56 (57.1) | 72 (59.5) | 59 (59.0) | 47 (55.3) | 43 (55.8) | 13 (44.8) | 133 (61.9) | |
| No | 29 (10.7) | 11 (18.0) | 26 (12.4) | 11 (11.2) | 14 (11.6) | 11 (11.0) | 12 (14.2) | 8 (10.4) | 3 (10.3) | 27 (12.6) | |
| Government only | 97 (49.2) | 20 (48.8) | 78 (52.7) | 32 (47.8) | 45 (52.9) | 35 (49.3) | 30 (51.7) | 26 (51.0) | 8 (40.0) | 79 (51.0) | |
| Government and parents | 96 (48.7) | 14 (34.2) | 63 (42.6) | 32 (47.8) | 37 (43.5) | 32 (45.1) | 26 (44.8) | 22 (43.1) | 11 (55.0) | 69 (44.5) | |
| Parents only | 1 (0.5) | 4 (9.8) | 4 (2.7) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (2.4) | 1 (1.4) | 1 (1.7) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (5.0) | 4 (2.6) | |
| Other | 3 (1.5) | 3 (7.3) | 3 (2.0) | 3 (4.5) | 1 (1.2) | 3 (4.2) | 1 (1.7) | 3 (5.9) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (1.9) | |
| Children eating healthy food | 173 (87.4) | 38 (92.7) | 138 (92.6) | 60 (90.0) | 78 (90.7) | 66 (93.0) | 53 (91.4) | 45 (86.5) | 19 (95.0) | 139 (89.9) | |
| Convenience for parents | 141 (71.2) | 27 (65.9) | 107 (72.3) | 48 (70.6) | 60 (69.8) | 51 (71.8) | 44 (75.9) | 35 (67.3) | 16 (80.0) | 111 (71.6) | |
| Children eating a hot cooked meal | 132 (67.0) | 27 (67.5) | 104 (70.8) | 42 (62.7) | 57 (67.1) | 49 (69.0) | 39 (68.4) | 27 (54.0) | 17 (85.0) | 109 (70.3) | |
| Peer influence to try new foods | 124 (62.9) | 26 (63.4) | 98 (66.2) | 42 (62.7) | 53 (62.4) | 44 (62.0) | 43 (74.1) | 31 (60.8) | 14 (70.0) | 99 (63.9) | |
| Children eating new foods in a social setting | 121 (61.4) | 21 (51.22) | 86 (58.1) | 44 (65.7) | 52 (61.2) | 42 (59.2) | 36 (62.1) | 31 (60.8) | 16 (80.0) | 91 (58.7) | |
| Children eating the same food | 82 (41.8) | 11 (26.8) | 59 (39.9) | 28 (42.4) | 34 (40.0) | 27 (38.6) | 25 (43.1) | 20 (40.0) | 9 (45.0) | 61 (39.4) | |
| Children having more time to eat lunch | 74 (37.6) | 10 (24.4) | 51 (34.5) | 25 (37.3) | 35 (41.2) | 22 (31.0) | 19 (32.8) | 14 (27.5) | 9 (45.0) | 54 (34.8) | |
| Cost to parents | 215 (78.8) | 48 (78.7) | 176 (83.4) | 76 (77.6) | 100 (82.6) | 83 (82.2) | 68 (80.0) | 55 (71.4) | 27 (93.1) | 177 (81.9) | |
| Lack of teacher support for serving food | 193 (70.7) | 49 (80.3) | 152 (72.0) | 80 (81.6) | 95 (78.5) | 74 (73.3) | 63 (74.1) | 55 (71.4) | 21 (72.4) | 163 (75.5) | |
| Time to serve food | 182 (66.7) | 50 (82.0) | 151 (71.6) | 67 (68.4) | 84 (69.4) | 74 (73.3) | 60 (70.6) | 44 (57.1) | 23 (79.3) | 158 (73.2) | |
| Food waste | 163 (59.7) | 43 (70.5) | 130 (61.6) | 63 (64.3) | 78 (64.5) | 55 (54.5) | 58 (68.2) | 42 (54.6) | 20 (69.0) | 140 (64.8) | |
| Child fussiness | 147 (53.9) | 34 (55.7) | 115 (54.5) | 57 (58.2) | 67 (55.4) | 59 (58.4) | 45 (52.9) | 47 (61.0) | 12 (41.4) | 115 (53.2) | |
| Inadequate space | 142 (52.0) | 33 (54.1) | 118 (55.9) | 48 (49.0) | 61 (50.4) | 62 (61.4) | 42 (49.4) | 28 (36.4) | 16 (55.2) | 131 (60.7) | |
| Reduced teaching time | 134 (49.1) | 22 (36.1) | 101 (47.9) | 44 (44.9) | 55 (45.5) | 56 (55.5) | 34 (40.0) | 28 (36.4) | 13 (44.8) | 114 (52.8) | |
| Children’s dietary requirements | 125 (45.8) | 32 (52.5) | 114 (54.0) | 35 (35.7) | 53 (43.8) | 41 (40.6) | 54 (63.5) | 24 (31.2) | 12 (41.4) | 117 (54.2) | |
| Parents wanting to know what children are eating | 110 (40.3) | 28 (45.9) | 96 (45.5) | 34 (34.7) | 45 (37.2) | 40 (39.6) | 44 (51.8) | 22 (28.6) | 14 (48.3) | 100 (46.3) | |
| Lack of teacher support for supervising children | 105 (38.5) | 31 (50.8) | 89 (42.2) | 42 (42.9) | 46 (38.0) | 45 (44.6) | 40 (47.1) | 32 (41.6) | 12 (41.4) | 90 (41.7) | |
| Allergies | 93 (34.1) | 24 (39.3) | 89 (42.2) | 23 (23.5) | 42 (34.7) | 31 (30.7) | 38 (44.7) | 16 (20.8) | 9 (31.0) | 92 (42.6) | |
| Equipment needs | 84 (30.8) | 22 (36.1) | 66 (31.3) | 33 (33.7) | 38 (31.4) | 31 (30.7) | 30 (35.3) | 24 (31.2) | 10 (34.5) | 67 (31.0) | |
| Parent concerns about quality | 77 (28.2) | 20 (32.8) | 71 (33.7) | 19 (19.4) | 32 (26.5) | 19 (18.8) | 37 (43.5) | 16 (20.8) | 10 (34.5) | 69 (31.9) | |
| Cost to taxpayers | 77 (28.2) | 17 (27.9) | 64 (30.3) | 28 (28.6) | 39 (32.2) | 28 (27.7) | 25 (29.4) | 17 (22.1) | 2 (6.9) | 72 (33.3) | |
| Teacher concerns about quality | 71 (26.0) | 10 (16.4) | 59 (28.0) | 16 (16.3) | 28 (23.1) | 17 (16.8) | 30 (35.3) | 10 (13.0) | 5 (27.6) | 60 (27.8) | |
| Mess | 43 (15.8) | 12 (19.7) | 37 (17.5) | 16 (16.3) | 22 (18.2) | 12 (11.9) | 19 (22.4) | 11 (14.3) | 5 (17.2) | 37 (17.1) | |
| Lack of parent trust | 39 (14.3) | 11 (18.0) | 34 (16.1) | 11 (11.2) | 17 (14.0) | 7 (6.9) | 21 (24.7) | 7 (9.1) | 2 (6.9) | 40 (18.5) | |
| Funding | 230 (84.3) | 49 (80.3) | 177 (83.9) | 86 (87.8) | 111 (91.7) | 84 (83.2) | 66 (77.7) | 69 (89.6) | 25 (86.2) | 178 (82.4) | |
| Resources (e.g. kitchen equipment) | 214 (78.4) | 46 (75.4) | 165 (78.2) | 78 (79.6) | 97 (80.2) | 81 (80.2) | 63 (74.1) | 60 (77.9) | 25 (86.2) | 167 (77.3) | |
| School facilities (e.g. eating area) | 211 (77.3) | 44 (72.1) | 162 (76.8) | 78 (79.6) | 91 (75.2) | 81 (80.2) | 66 (77.7) | 55 (71.4) | 26 (89.7) | 168 (77.8) | |
| Parent awareness | 169 (61.9) | 30 (49.2) | 130 (61.6) | 56 (57.1) | 74 (61.2) | 57 (56.4) | 54 (63.5) | 40 (52.0) | 18 (62.1) | 135 (62.5) | |
Note(s): *Question asked to 240 teachers who responded “yes” (n = 99) or “maybe” (n = 141) to the question Should all primary schools have a school-provided lunch program?
Gov = Government school
Non-gov = Non-government school
SEP = Socioeconomic position
Source(s): Authors’ own work
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