Table 2 School-based nutrition intervention components

Component

Description

Examples

Social and physical environment

The quality of the relationships between students and staff, as well as with families and the wider community.

The facilities, amenities, and equipment in and surrounding the school, and the presence of safe, accessible, and supportive healthy food choices for students and community members.

Peer-support and mentoring programs, student cooking classes and community feasts, staff and peers modelling healthy behaviors, healthy eating messages in newsletters and other forms of communication.

Food programs that increase access to healthy foods, vending machines and canteens stocked with healthy options, school or community gardens, nutrition awareness campaigns or contests, healthy foods offered at celebrations and fundraisers, visual displays of healthy messages.

Teaching and learning

Formal and informal curriculum and resources, instilling knowledge and skills for students to improve their eating behaviors and health outcomes, and professional development opportunities for staff related to nutrition.

Incorporating healthy diet and nutrition knowledge into classes and curriculum, gardening programs, offering professional development opportunities for teachers.

Policy

Policies, guidelines, and practices that promote and support student nutrition.

Written nutrition policy, offering foods that are consistent with local, provincial, or national guidelines, and prohibiting certain foods from the school environment.

Partnerships and services

The connections between a school and students’ families, and supportive relationships among schools and other community organizations and sectors to advance student nutrition.

Working with local food services and businesses, partnerships among education and health sectors, and the use of community facilities.

Component

Description

Example

Cultural content

Elements that recognize the diversity of Indigenous communities and are relevant to local cultures and contexts.

Incorporation of traditional foods, practices, and ways of learning.

Indigenous control and ownership

Community-driven and community-led elements that promote self-determination.

Community driven programs and equitable collaboration with researchers and other non-community members.

Funding source

The source providing funding to develop, implement, and/or sustain an intervention.

Donations, grants, and research funds.

Evaluation

The collection and analysis of an intervention.

Formative evaluation, process evaluation, and outcome evaluation.