Nutrition Promotion Program for High School Students

This program aims to improve the health condition of high school students by promoting healthy eating and preventing overweight and obesity. The program includes a school-based food policy, consumer marketing, and calorie menu labeling. The stakeholders involved are the local council CEO, school principal, nutrition experts, teachers, parents, students, and food suppliers.

Task Assessment 2: Nutrition Promotion
Student’s Name
Address
Date
To
Name
CEO, Local Council
Address
Date
Dear Madam,
I am a postgraduate student from Deakin University and a current Health Promotion
Officer at a local council in an outer eastern Suburb in Melbourne. Given my level of expertise
and educational background on health and nutrition promotion, I would like to offer my services
to your school in developing a nutrition promotion program that will improve the health
condition of students at your school. This objective can particularly be achieved by promoting
healthy eating and subsequently preventing prevalence of overweight and obesity among the
adolescents in your institution.
It is worthy to note that unhealthy eating, overweight and obesity are primary and current
health issues that are on the rise. Evidence suggests that high dependence on energy dense,

nutrition poor (EDNP) foods are the primary causes for these problems. Most worryingly is the
fact that these health issues are further associated with other adverse health conditions such as
diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and even stroke. Furthermore, young people are at high
risk of exposure to unhealthy foods and once they develop a tendency to crave EDNP foods, they
are likely to carry such unhealthy behaviors into adulthood. (1)It is therefore crucial that a
nutritional program that reduces consumption of energy dense foods while at the same time
promoting the consumption of foods that are rich in nutrients be promptly developed.

Nutrition Promotion Program
Introduction
It is no doubt that young adults and particularly adolescents are a desirable target
population for EDNP foods and beverages given the role of marketing strategies which are
specifically tailored to their suiting. Marketing campaigns have used techniques to normalize
brands associated with unhealthy foods and beverages. (1)Young people have thus accepted such
foods which are plenty within their environments to be a cultural norm with many of them
spending significant amount of money on them. However, this population group increasingly
continues to lack the basic educational background on the dire impacts associated with such
foods. Vendors of such foods have done little to educate young people on healthy eating given
that they are private business entities whose sole purpose is to make profits regardless of the
harm that they inflict on the consumers. (2) Notably, EDNP foods and beverages have been the
primary cause of overweight and obese cases with many school children inculcating such eating
behaviors into adulthood.
Younger adults are at the highest risk of becoming overweight and obese. For instance,
the current crop of youths and adolescents has the highest prevalence of obese cases compared to
the previous generations and unlike other population groups. Preventing the prevalence of such
crises is one of the key public health priorities and schools as well as communities should realize
the importance of handling such issues before they prevail. (3)As is the case in the high school in
Melbourne, many young people have preferred the consumption of EDNP foods and beverages.
Despite having a nearby wholesale fruit and vegetable market, the school lacks a
supporting environment that can foster consumption of healthy foods. For one, the parents

encourage students to eat in fast food restaurants which serve poor nutrient foods such as fries,
hot chips, cakes and sugar sweetened beverages. Such items are rich in calories and sugar which
could result adverse health issues later on in life. The vendors are also profit oriented and have
minimal education concerning healthy eating thereby further exacerbating the situation. The
environment also does not support nutrition education taught in schools with no nutrition
promotion initiatives being undertaken by the school. The staff are however open to health
promotion initiatives.
To address the above stated scenario and further prevent other associated health effects,
there is dire need to develop an action plan that contains evidence-based interventions. On this
note, a well-defined and practical school-based food policy coupled with marketing strategy that
focuses on calorie labeling has been proposed. (4) Likewise, the main purpose of this program is
to develop evidence-based strategies that are effective in improving the nutritional quality of
food and beverages that are served within the environs of the high school. (5) The quality of food
can ideally be improved by supporting the consumption of fruits and vegetables that are cross to
the proximity of the school and also minimizing the purchases of energy dense foods.
Strategies for the Program
Consumer Marketing
WHO reiterates that given the vulnerability of the younger populations on EDNP foods
and beverages, priorities should be placed on reducing exposure to unhealthy foods and beverage
marketing. This can be done by regulating the market where such products are marketed. Given
the CEO of the local council has the mandate to regulate the market for such goods and
specifically shopping strip which contains multiple fast food outlets. Regulating or limiting the

amount of foods served in this market will subsequently reduce the consumption levels of EDPN
foods and beverages.(3) The proposed counter marketing strategy should focus on increasing
youth’s understanding of how vendors marketing target and influences them to purchase the
unhealthy foods.
The rationale behind this initiative is that younger people especially those in high school
have a higher intake of such foods in comparison to adults such as their parents. According to
Freeman et al. (1) adolescents easily develop a liking for sugary and sweetened foods and
beverages. As such, their dietary choices revolve around soft drinks and fast food which are
heavily advertised by food chains. The sellers on the hand target this population with the
knowledge that young populations comprise the largest consumers for such foods. (6)
Evidence also indicates that adolescents unlike older adults are more impulsive and self-
conscious and these characteristics will create a condition for increased vulnerability to
marketing and branding. (7) This population is also at a tender developmental stage where they
strive to develop a personal identity that in most cases is separate from their parents. (8) Such
desires and anxiety increases an adolescent’s receptivity to marketing strategies especially those
that have emotional appeal. (9) Hence, the council should make it a priority to regulate the
marketing strategies that influence this young population into making purchases that may bring
them health issues later on in life. These regulations can be in the form of using measures that
are particularly restrictive of lifestyle and image marketing.
Calorie Menu Labeling
Calorie menu labeling is an intervention strategy that not only seeks to expound on
nutritional knowledge among young people but also act as an effective resource in creating a

supportive environment by appealing for community action Flynn. (2) Evidence indicate that
only 15% of the total consumers actively utilize the calorie menu information but even though
this is so, the usage of such information does not help them in consuming foods that have lower
quantities of calories. (3) Nonetheless, calorie labeling creates a market for healthier food
options. In America for example, the introduction of this initiative resulted in smaller proportions
of cakes being sold in bakeries. (10) Thus, the introduction of calorie labeling in restaurant and
fast food outlets may reduce the amount of consumption of EDNP foods.
The introduction of this initiative can be replicated by food chains across the shopping
strips thereby making the strategy to be less costly for individualized outlets. A free online
calculator that is provided specifically for food service outlets can further limit the costs
associated with hiring nutrition experts to calculate the calories content. (1) The success of the
strategy however lies on the commitments of owners to provide customers with foods that have
lower calorie levels. (3) It is however expected that this information will deter young people
from choosing EDPN foods and beverages and instead go for foods that have lower levels of
calories. (11)
School-Based Food Policy
The program will contain a school-based food policy since the institution has not
implemented one. Under this policy, the school administration will detail the targeted goals of
promoting healthy eating and discouraging the consumption of EDNP foods and beverages. An
educational program or curricula on an experiential basis will also be included and made
compulsory for all staff and students within the school. (1) The aim of this educational system is
to enhance teachers as well as student’s knowledge on health and nutrition promotion.

Furthermore, the program will increase students’ exposure to foods that are rich in nutrients such
as fruits and vegetables. Gardening sessions for example will allow students to learn botanical
and fortification processes associated with such foods. (12) Such knowledge will in turn change
the perceptions of students regarding high nutrients foods in a way that inclines them to consume
such foods. (13)
Timeline
The three faceted program will run for a period of two and a half years between the mid
of 2019 and the end of 2020. The program will be run in three phases prior to completing
including the planning and development stage, implementation and the final evaluation and
monitoring stage. It is anticipated that this timeframe will be enough to cover all the aspects of
the program and include all the associated stakeholders.
Program Phase Activities Timeframe
Phase 1: Planning and
Development
 Seeking nutrition
specialists and
experts.
 Drafting school
nutrition policy.
 Rolling out initial
program plans to all
stakeholders.
 Inviting changes and
contributions to the
program.
 Engaging associated
stakeholders (local
council, school
administration,
parents, teachers,
service vendors,
nutrition experts)
6 months
(15th June 2019 – 15th January
2020)
Phase 2: Implementation  Charting the school
policy.
1 Year

 Educating teachers,
schools and parents on
the policy through
workshops, forums
and meetings.
 Commencing
educational sessions
for students.
 Engaging food
vendors on calorie
labeling,
 Rallying the
community towards
healthy eating.
(February 2020 to the end of
December 2020)
Phase 3: Evaluation and
Monitoring
 Developing a
feedback platform on
the success and
failures of the
program.
 Utilizing school
surveillance and
health data records to
check for overweight
and obese cases.
 Observing trends in
EDNP foods intake.
 Regular visits to the
shopping strip to
check labeling status.
1 year and beyond
(Beginning of January 2021)
Stakeholder Engagement
The main stakeholders involved in the program will include; the local council CEO, the
school principal, nutrition experts and specialists, teachers, parents, students and the food
suppliers and vendors. In the first stage of the program, the main interactions will occur between
the CEO, school principal, nutrition experts, teachers and parents. This interaction will primarily
involve developing a school-based policy that encourages and inculcates a healthy eating habit
among the students. (14) Interaction between the local council CEO and the product sellers and

vendors will also occur in the initial stage for regulatory purposes and determining the calorie
calculator.
At the second level of the action plan, all stakeholders will be involved. Ideally,
stakeholders at this stage are fully informed of their roles in the program. Thus, the students and
the community will be engaged as well in the implementation process. Every stakeholder will be
encouraged by the program managers to provide full participation to the wellness of the students.
(15) Collaboration between the school’s staff including teachers and dietitians with nutrition
experts will also be expected for purposes of ensuring the policy is well implemented. In the
final stage, a special evaluation and monitoring committee comprising of the council’s CEO,
school principal, nutrition specialists, parent representative and staff representative will be set up
to oversee the progress of the program.
Evaluation and Dissemination
The evaluation of the program will be based on a pre-developed feedback system or
platform that allows for data gathering and analysis regarding the health condition of students.
Furthermore, the school will utilize a surveillance system for students’ weight status across the
entire institution. Such mechanisms will ideally enable the program managers to gain a full
understanding of the progress that is made under the program. It can likewise pinpoint areas of
concern and which require immediate addressing. (11) It can also be noted that a feedback
platform will facilitate data collection on the different perceptions that are held by various
stakeholders regarding the program. Such information will also prove to be invaluable in relation
to making the necessary change and amendments to the program. (16)

From another perspective, it can be expected that the counter marketing strategy could
prove to be ineffective due to compliance issues or seller’s decisions to relocate to other markets
factors which may not be beneficiary to the program. In such cases, the evaluation team can seek
assistance from the regulatory bodies and other associated governmental agencies. (8) The
purpose of doing so will be to ensure that the project is a success even when it reaches its final
phase.

References
1. Freeman B, Kelly B, Baur SV. Young Adults: Beloved by Food and Drink Marketers and
Forgotten by Public Health? Health Promotion International. 2016; 31(4): 954-961.
2. Flynn MA. Empowering People to be Healthier: Public Health Nutrition through Ottawa
Charter. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2015; 74(3): 303-312.
3. Illario M, Maione AS, Rusciano MR, Goossens E, Rauter A, et al. NutriLive: An
Integrated Nutritional Approach as a Sustainable Tool to Prevent Malnutrition in Older
People and Promote Active and Healthy Ageing. Advances in Public Health. 2016.
4. (WHO) World Health Organization. Plan of Action for the Prevention of Obesity in
Children and Adolescents. 2014. Available from
https://www.paho.org/hq/dmdocuments/2015/Obesity-Plan-Of-Action-Child-Eng-
2015.pdf?ua=1&ua=1
5. Jenuine B, Ellerbee W, Adalian N, Bishop L, Paul BM, et al. School Nutrition by Design.
2012. Available from
6. Farinelli MA. Nutrition Promotion to Prevent Obesity in Young Adults. Healthcare
(Basel). 2015; 3(3): 809-829.
7. Croll JK, Sztainer DN, Story M. Healthy Eating: What does it mean to Adolescents?
Journal of Nutrition Education. 2011; 33(4): 193-198.
8. The Community Guide. Promoting Good Nutrition: School-Based Programs Promoting
Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2014. Available from

https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/nutrition-school-based-programs-
promoting-nutrition-and-physical-activity
9. Chan K, Tsang L. Promote Healthy Eating among Adolescents: A Hong Kong Study.
Journal of Consumer Marketing. 2011; 28(5): 354-362.
10. Chan A, Ming H. Action Plan to Promote Healthy Diet and Physical Activity
Participation in Hong Kong. 2008. Available from
https://www.change4health.gov.hk/filemanager/common/image/strategic_framework/
action_plan/action_plan_e.pdf
11. The Food Commission. Children’s Nutrition Action Plan: Policy Recommendations to
Improve Children’s Diet and Health. 2011.
12. (WHO) World Health Organization. A Tool for the Development of School Nutrition
Programmes in the European Region. 2010. Available from
13. Oakes J, Maier A, Daniel J. An Evidence-Based Strategy for Equitable School
Improvement. 2017. Available from
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/
Community_Schools_Evidence_Based_Strategy_BRIEF.pdf
14. Djalalinia S, Tehrani FR, Hossein M, Hejazi F. Development and Evaluation of a
Nutritional Health Program for Adolescents. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery
Research. 2013; 18(5): 425-427.
15. (BMA) British Medical Association. Food Thought: Promoting Healthy Diets among
Children and Young People. 2015.

16. Dudley A, Cotton WG, Peralta LR. Teaching Approaches and Strategies that Promote
Healthy Eating in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2015; 12:28.